Primal Desires Masquerades
by Velvet Blood Roses
Summary: This story picks up where "Primal Desires" left off. Edward and Bella have started their new life abroad. The Cullens are finally reunited after leaving Forks and now face their future together.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** The characters in this story belong to Stephenie Meyer.

I really thought I was done when "Primal Desires" wrapped up. I was spent. But after a few months this story began to write itself in my head. I wrestled with whether I should write on this again. But to be perfectly honest, it had to be exorcised from me. So I put pen to paper as it were, and here we are....again.

"My-Bella" has been instrumental in helping me with this and we only hope that as usual you keep an open mind and enjoy the ride! For your viewing pleasure, the pictures that have inspired different scenes of this story are being posted on My-Bella's website - you can find the link on her profile page. We will be updating it periodically. There is so much in my head this time I needed visual aids!

We will be posting once a week, usually sometime during the weekend. Thank you again for all of your support!

~Velvet Blood Roses~

* * *

Sitting lazily in an armchair across from the open French doors, I let the sun bathe my face in its light. A smile captures my face as her voice floods my mind.

I close my eyes listening to her humming to herself in the garden just outside. The long flowing curtains dance in the light breeze and carry her scent to me…haunting, intoxicating…all freesia and lavender—all Bella. _My Bella_.

I am filled with the warmth of her smile. I see her in my mind's eye in her white sundress and sandals. Her skirt dancing in the light breeze is poetry. Her skin is sparkling like little diamonds set ablaze as she collects roses in the afternoon sun. I open my eyes and peered through the gaps in the curtain, watching her and wondering how the reality of her could be so much more than my thoughts…Even after all of this time, she still took my breath away.

Tiny specs of dust dance along the rays of sunshine before me as I replay the times she and I have shared in this home. It has been a period of healing. She and I have been able to cope with how things ended in Forks and we have been able to grow closer because of it.

In the beginning, there were times when I had to hold Bella as she sobbed tearlessly—her body shaking and her mind wracked with guilt over what we had done to get out of Forks. She mourned for her parents most of all. She knew that in order to keep them safe, we would have to leave and the cleanest break would be the most painful. But with each passing day and night spent without separation, those moments of despair became less and less as she began to move forward. She, of course, still had rough moments but she was able to carry on.

Living here has been not only a blessing but the most peaceful time in our lives. We have enjoyed ourselves by exploring the vast grounds together and even venturing into town on occasion. We have also spent time apart pursuing our separate hobbies. It has been very important for me to make sure Bella has had her space and time alone to reflect on everything that happened.

And then there were the moments like now in the garden, where she enjoyed her time alone with the knowledge that I was only a mind touch away. Our connection was growing stronger day by day, and I could no longer tell where I ended and she began—we are one.

My mind floated on the last few notes of the classical piece that filled the room from the stereo behind me. I was lost in thought and couldn't be happier. Lately, I found myself feeling as if I were in a dream and that at any moment, this would all be over. That sort of thought would have tortured me relentlessly before, but now I took things a day at a time, enjoying this life for what it was. I'd entered this utopian state where I scarcely recognized myself. I was more relaxed than I had ever been—this time alone with Bella had changed me more than I could say. I liked to believe we were both happy with those changes.

We had been in the manor house on our own for almost a year, and the rest of our family was finally on their way home and would be arriving shortly. Bella had decided that she wanted to fill the house with fresh flowers from the garden for Esme. We were all so excited to be together as a family again.

Carlisle, Esme, Rose, and Emmett had stayed behind in Forks after our "accident". I would forever be in their debt for everything they had done for Bella's parents. Renee was so grief stricken that she couldn't bear to stay in Forks too long after the funeral and retreated back to Jacksonville, leaving Charlie to fend for himself for the most part. Esme called Renee in the beginning to make sure she was truly moving forward—it didn't take long for Renee to throw herself into other projects and move on with her husband. Bella said it was due to the short attention span her mother had always had. Personally, I thought it was a survival tactic and I respected Renee for that. She was stronger than I would have been had I lost Bella in Italy.

My family pulled together and made sure that Charlie was okay after the funeral. Esme and Rosalie worked together to make him meals a couple of nights a week while they taught him to cook. There was a short brush with drinking, but as soon as it was discovered, both Carlisle and Emmett spent a few weeks with Charlie, setting him straight.

Carlisle and Esme even went with Charlie to see a grief counselor twice a week for a few months. Soon after, though, their presence became unnecessary. Charlie met a young woman by the name of Mary in the waiting room there and they hit it off. Only when Charlie was finally coming around to face the reality of Bella's death and sought solace with his new friend, did Carlisle and Esme think it the right time to leave. Carlisle told Charlie that he was moving the family to the east coast, thanks to a promotion at another hospital. My father made it seem like Forks held too many memories for his family, which Charlie readily accepted since I had "died" as well. My family made sure Charlie had all of their numbers and they promised to visit often.

As for Alice and Jasper, they had stayed on with the others for a few months but then decided to go on a little vacation before coming to London. Alice needed to regroup after everything that had happened—we all did. I knew both my sisters still felt an enormous amount of guilt over my trip to Italy, and I hoped that being reunited and having them see how happy I was would erase that from their consciences.

I was thrilled at the thought of having them all under one roof again. I'd found that after all those years I spent brooding and wanting to be alone, I truly hated to be separated from those closest to me. Bella was the only thing that had made their absence easier for me. It was our collective love for her that had rendered my family willing to pay any price for Bella's happiness. She had changed all of us: Esme and Carlisle had gained another daughter, while Jasper, Alice, Emmett, and Rose had all gained a new sister. And I had finally found the missing piece to my soul—Bella was everything to me.

My thoughts were interrupted by the soft sound of her giggle. She leaned down over me and kissed my forehead as her hair cascaded over either side of my face, hiding us both from the outside world.

"I thought vampires didn't sleep," she teased as she reached one elegant limb behind me and turned off the CD player.

"I am not sleeping, love. I'm simply resting and dreaming of you," I responded, kissing her lips.

"You, sir, are lost in thought and are being very calm for someone who is reuniting with his family after so long," she chided between kisses.

My arms wrapped around her pulling her to sit on my lap. "I am relishing in the peacefulness now because you know as well as I do that Alice will be whisking us off to do God knows what, God knows where, soon enough."

Bella's laugh filled the room as she disappeared from my arms and moved to the piano. She lifted up the vase from the piano and buried her little nose in the brightly colored flowers.

I felt bereft immediately. "Where do you think you're going, young lady?" I asked in a playful voice.

"Edward, they'll be here any minute and I want everything to be perfect," she responded as she rearranged the roses in the vase. "I'm going upstairs to make sure the rooms are just right…_again_," she added, already heading upstairs.

It was quite sweet how concerned she was with having everything just so for our family's arrival. Alice had called me last night and forewarned me that Bella would be in this state so I'd made sure to stay out of her way and help wherever I could.

I finally removed myself from my chair and started for my piano. As soon as I was seated, I let my hands caress the keys lightly and fill the room with my love's lullaby. I hoped the soothing sounds would help calm her.

My reward was instant as I could feel her smiling in my mind. I closed my eyes and just let the music take me over as that piece ended and another flowed from my fingertips.

A familiar scent stirred me, pulling at my heart, drawing me away from the music and back to the present. "Alice," I whispered to myself, smiling.

I was at the foot of the stairs at the same time Bella reached them—we opened the wide double doors together and ran outside. I didn't get far before Alice pounced on me; that peace and contentment I'd come to know with Bella doubled with the feel of my little pixie sister in my arms again.

Alice slipped from my arms and wrapped her nimble limbs around Bella as they both shrieked at one another in that falsetto all women seem to reach when they get excited. I smiled at the sight as Jasper gave me a one-armed hug, both of us chuckling at how the girls were carrying on.

A sudden barrage of honking and cheering filled the air as the low rumble of an engine rushed through the gates of the property. We turned and took in the sight of Emmett and Rose half hanging out of Emmett's new Hummer. They parked and more hugging and female shrieking ensued.

"Are you girls looking to burst the windows and communicate with all the dogs in the vicinity?" Emmett joked as he wrapped Alice and Jasper in a bear hug. Before they had a chance to reply, he'd moved on, sharing his signature hug with me. He looked over my head and his thoughts relayed that he'd spotted Bella.

We all remained motionless as Emmett made his way over to Bella. He towered over her, but she didn't seem to notice as she smiled up at him. His entire face relaxed as he smiled back, neither of them saying a word nor needing to. Bella practically disappeared in his arms as he held her so tenderly. I instantly remembered the last time he had looked at her that way; it had been that last day in Forks in his Jeep. Before staging the accident, he'd assured Bella that everything would be okay—he'd kept his word.

We had all been through so much and were overwhelmed at finally being reunited; I knew if any one of us were capable of tears we would all be a mess as the hugs and words of love continued to float around us.

I was hugging Rose when Alice suddenly shrieked. "Mom and Dad are home!" She took off, running toward the car that was just turning into the driveway.

"Alice, let them park at least," Jasper laughed. He chased after her and she let him catch her, bringing her back to the rest of us as we eagerly waited for our parents to get out of the car.

Carlisle had barely parked before Esme was embracing as many of us at a time as she could. "Finally, we are all together again!" she said excitedly. The wall of family members parted and she captured my face in her hands, staring into my eyes as if she would fall into them. "Oh, Edward, you look so happy!" she cried.

"I am" was all I could respond as I beamed back at her.

She turned to Bella just as Carlisle got his arms around Alice and Jasper. "Bella, look at you! You are a vision in white," Esme gasped.

Bella could no longer blush, but she had a tell for when she was embarrassed—her eyes would find something extremely interesting about the patch of ground in front of her. I reached for her hand and attempted to calm her with my thoughts. _'She's right, love. You look beautiful today.'_

'_You say that everyday'_ her thoughts chided as she rolled her eyes at me.

'_It's true'_ was my response as I shrugged.

"You both look so amazing. It's in your eyes. You both look so…so _peaceful_," Esme continued, love and happiness coloring her words.

Bella's embarrassment faded away as her desire to properly welcome our family returned. She ushered the family inside and there was a collective gasp as they caught their first glimpse of her handiwork.

"Bella, what have you done?" Rose cried in amazement.

"Wow!" Emmett added.

Esme had the most shocked look of all. "This house has _never_ looked so beautiful!" she exclaimed.

In my relaxed state, I had failed to notice everything Bella had done this morning. But as I surveyed the foyer and den with my family, I realized Bella really had filled the house with flowers. She'd even gone so far as to update the family pictures with all of the ones Alice had been sending us. The house truly looked as if none of us had ever been apart—Bella had transformed it from a mere house to our _home_.

Carlisle put his arm around me as he led us all to the den to sit together and catch up. Conversation flowed freely as we updated each other on various activities.

Rose's voice suddenly became the loudest in the room. "Bella, what have you done to our Edward? There isn't a trace of the old angst-ridden, sullen, crabby, Edward," she chuckled.

I shook my head at my sister as I waited with the family for Bella's answer. I could have just plucked it from her beautiful mind, but I never did. Bella's thoughts remained private unless she wanted me to hear them.

"That, dear sister, was nothing that the love of a good woman couldn't cure," Bella responded, giggling as she kissed my cheek.

I rolled my eyes at both of them.

"They fall right back into it, don't they?" Emmett retorted, tickling Rose's side and chuckling at me.

I was smiling despite myself. I had missed the banter and sounds of my family—even Rose's sarcasm.

"Well, I don't know about the rest of you, but I am starved," Jasper announced.

"Yay!" Alice cried. "Let's go hunting together like we used to."

It wasn't as if we needed any convincing; we were all enjoying this reunion too much to let it end just yet.

We headed towards the back of the house with Rose and Alice each holding one of Bella's arms as they stepped into the garden, giggling and being playful. Emmett, Jasper, and I followed with Esme and Carlisle walking hand in hand behind their "children".

"You up for a run, _little_ brother?" Emmett bellowed as he slapped me hard on the back and yanked Jasper's cap off his head.

Emmett didn't wait for a response before speeding off into the trees. Jasper and I were in immediate pursuit, loving how easy we fell back into old patterns. Emmett knew the best way to push our buttons and took full advantage; like getting under my skin by teasing about our difference in stature.

I monitored the thoughts of the rest of the family to make sure they were headed in the same direction as us; being their protector was also a role I slipped naturally back into it seemed.

Emmett led us straight to our prey, choosing the Elk that roamed freely in the woods on our property. We would save the fiercer game for another time.

Bella and I hunted almost in unison, having grown accustomed to partnering to take down our kill. It was another facet of the intimacy we shared, and this fact did not go unnoticed. I could see in Carlisle's content face and hear it in his approving thoughts.

It was dusk when we began to walk lazily back toward the house, meandering through the large gardens as we each held our loved one. The night was taking over the sky and the air around us was dotted with fireflies while the stars were out in force. It all came together as a beautiful backdrop to our reunion.

"Why don't we all go for a swim?" Esme suggested, having spotted the pool in the distance. With the canopy of dazzling stars overhead and the warm summer breeze, this really was the perfect time for night swimming.

"That's a wonderful idea, Mom," Jasper replied, immediately picking up Alice and getting her to squeal.

"Let's all change and meet at the pool," Esme said, smiling at each of us in turn.

Back in our room, Bella changed into her blue bikini and became playfully annoyed when it seemed I wasn't paying any attention to a single word she was saying. She was going on about how happy she was that everyone was home while my lips showered her waist and stomach with soft kisses.

"You are _impossible_," she said breathily. Her hands gripped my hair, signaling that she'd given in to my desires.

My victory was short-lived as Alice's giggling voice carried through the door. "Come on, you guys, enough with the sexy time!" She squealed loudly and we heard Jasper chuckle as his bare feet slapped against the wooden floor of the hallway outside, carrying her away.

"I guess she must have seen where this was going, huh?" I chuckled as I stood and embraced Bella.

"Yeah, I guess you were right about her whisking us off," Bella replied with a grin.

We made our way downstairs and over to the pool. It was attached to the side of the house and started just inside the solarium double doors. It spilled out into the lush garden beyond, giving it a distinct Middle Eastern flair. The pool was rectangular with Moroccan style arcs and curves on either end. It was about twelve feet deep and completely heated—it was one of my favorite parts of the house.

Rose and Esme had lit the Moroccan lanterns all around the pool and turned on the twinkle lights in the surrounding trees. The heat caused wisps of steam to come off the surface.

Esme and Carlisle were in the shallow end of the pool, leaning against the wall while the rest of our family was playfully swimming around one another in the deeper end. Bella and I entered the pool, joining the others. The scene felt slightly ethereal to me and I wasn't sure if it was the setting or the happiness that was radiating off of everyone. I had spent nearly a century as a member of this family and never had I seen any of us so content, so fulfilled. We were truly a family, a complete unit now—we would never let anything destroy that.

Bella slipped under the water and pulled me under with her as we swam to the others. The warmth of the water was exhilarating as we glided through it, barely disturbing the surface overhead. I emerged behind Bella and wrapped my arms around her, kissing the side of her wet neck tenderly. Water had always made her sweet scent stronger and tonight was no different.

"How do you like the house, Bella?" Jasper asked as Alice playfully swam around him in the water.

"It's like a dream," she replied with a wide smile. "In a strange way, it felt like I belonged here immediately."

"Bella, in one way or another, you have always belonged with us," Rose said, surprising everyone. I looked at her, completely incredulous of how _soft_ she had become.

"Was our little Rose abducted in my absence?" I joked. "Where is our little spit-fire?"

Rose chuckled and splashed me in retort. "For your information, Edward, I am perfectly capable of being caring towards those I…love." Her pause might have seemed odd to anyone outside of our family, but it was normal to us. Rose had never been one to wear her heart on her sleeve. "Besides you know you love it when I kick you around," she continued. She poked her tongue at me and then dove under the water, swimming toward Bella.

I took advantage of my sister's position and picked her up, tossing her back into the water a few feet away and earning a few cheers from the others.

Rose surfaced with a huge smile on her face and pointed one long finger at me, her dark red nail polish sparkling under the lights. "I _will_ get you back for that later."

"Just stay away from the Jaguar," I told her.

Most of the evening passed the same way, with us being silly in the water and enjoying each other's company. Bella was the first to exit the pool, causing me to stop in mid-sentence and marvel at her grace and loveliness.

"She is beautiful," Carlisle stated.

"There are times, Dad, when I feel I will burst from happiness," I replied, not breaking my stare.

Bella turned at the sound of my voice and smiled coyly at me as she wrapped herself in a dark blue sarong. _'Behave'_ her thoughts chided.

The women followed her lead and all got out of the water.

"Ladies, how about we all go inside and catch up? I have some things for each of you and this is the perfect time," Esme suggested.

"Mom, what gives? Nothing for us!" Emmett shouted indignantly.

Esme smiled down at him. "You will get your turn, Em. Be patient, son."

Bella knelt by the pool as I swam to the edge; there was no need for words between us for me to know what she wanted, not with the connection we shared. I kissed her and the world melted away as it always did.

Much too soon, she pulled away and smiled. "I'll see you inside," she whispered.

"Mhm" was all I could offer back as I nibbled on her lower lip.

She laughed, letting her fingers trail across my cheek as she stood. With a flirty little wave and a swing of her hips, she joined the rest of the ladies and disappeared into the house

Only a few yards between us and already I ached for her. I shook my head at my own self as I turned to find Carlisle, Emmett, and Jasper leaning against the pool wall with goofy faces.

"You guys are so mushy," Emmett teased, puckering his lips at me.

"I'm sorry, Emmett. Was that not NC-17 enough for you?" I joked as I joined them in leaning against the side wall

"Ah, it's good to be home," Jasper said with a smirk.

"All kidding aside, I have something to say," I started.

Carlisle's relaxed pose immediately stiffened, expecting the worst. It wasn't as though I hadn't given him reason to react that way, but it still bothered me. Hopefully, my words would set him at ease again.

"I hope you know how grateful I am to all of you for what you've each sacrificed for Bella and me," I began.

"Edward, you don't have to—" Carlisle interjected, but I raised my hand to let him know I wasn't finished.

"Please, I need to say this," I told him, keeping my voice soft to help ease his worry.

He smiled and nodded for me to continue.

"It hasn't been the easiest year for any of us. I often feel like I am the most selfish man that ever lived for all the havoc I have caused: falling in love with Bella, almost exposing us, nearly getting my family killed, turning Bella, and uprooting all of you as well as Bella. As if that was not enough, my actions made it so that the only way out was for us to all be apart just so the wounds could heal. I'm sorry for all the trouble I've caused, but I must tell you, I can't say that I would change any of it. If I could spare anyone any pain, of course I would, but I cannot imagine my life without Bella in it." I took an unnecessary breath as I looked at my brothers and father.

Jasper smiled kindly as he put his hand to my shoulder. "No one has struggled internally as much as you have. Though we couldn't see it at the time, the decisions you made were the right ones for you and Bella. She has given us all a new appreciation of the life we chose to lead and for each other—we love her as our own, Edward. It's why we fought for the unity of our family and why we would do it again in an instant."

"Yeah, Bro," Emmett agreed, nodding his head enthusiastically. "We may not always understand you, or what gets your panties in a bunch, but we always love you and back you up. We do what we have to do to survive as a family. And besides, you managed to pick a girl who was able to soften my Rosie. Now if that isn't worth kicking some Volturi ass, I don't know what is!" he laughed.

I ran my hands through my wet hair as I took their words in, momentarily left speechless by the depth of their devotion to both Bella and me. "I owe you all just the same," I finally managed.

Carlisle smiled and put his arm around my shoulders, his thoughts full of admiration for the bond between his sons, and love for each member of his family.

Esme's distinct "voice" filled my own mind for a brief moment. "Mom would like for us to join them," I announced.

We were out of the pool, somewhat dry, and in the den in seconds. The girls had all changed and were lounging on the overstuffed couches. In one fluid motion, Alice was up from the sofa and had bounced over to Jasper, showing off the new locket and blouse Esme had surprised her with.

Rose showed Emmett the very expensive heels and bag she was given, careful to keep them from his massive body. He hadn't dried off as well as the rest of us and water droplets covered his hair and shoulders.

Bella sat the closest to Esme and had that look she got whenever she was gifted something she felt was too much. I sat next to her and cupped her chin. "What is it, love?" I asked.

She leaned down toward the large box at her feet, pulling out a flannel shirt and hugging it in her arms. The scent from the shirt swirled around us and I smiled at the little piece of Charlie my mother had brought to Bella. I sifted through the box, seeing that it was filled with many of her belongings from her room, including CDs and the pictures she'd had of us. There were also pictures of Bella's parents—it seemed Esme had thought of everything.

"It smells like him," Bella whispered, sounding as stunned as I felt. "Esme, there is nothing I could possibly say to fully thank you for this. This is more than I could have imagined," Bella said softly.

"You are most welcome, dear girl," Esme replied, patting her cheek. "But there is also something new for you in this." Esme reached into the box and pulled out a smaller one before Bella could reply. "This one is from Carlisle. He saw this on the way here and could not resist."

Bella fingers trembled slightly as she opened the cardboard box. She gasped softly as I helped her to remove her gift. It was a jewelry box made of dark cherry wood and emblazed with a very intricate swirl carving. A small silver oval sat in the middle, embossed with the words "Bella Cullen".

She gasped again as her fingertips lightly brushed over her name.

"Open it, Bella," Carlisle urged as he sat on the other side of her, placing his hand on her back.

Bella bit her lip and then slowly lifted the lid. "Claire De Lune" began to play as a little white swan came into view and swirled to the melody. I was surprised by how much this gesture to the woman I loved affected me.

Once again, Bella had reason to gasp. Nestled in the soft red velvet of the box was an exquisite titanium bracelet with the Cullen crest shining out at us. She lifted the bracelet carefully, turning it over in her hands. Our eyes were drawn to the three initials engraved on the underside of the crest.

Bella looked up at Carlisle about to ask what they stood for, but I answered before she could part her lips. "Isabella Masen Cullen," I said as Carlisle and I helped her to put it on.

She then reached over and hugged Carlisle tightly. "Thank you Carlisle," she whispered into his neck.

"I know I'm not your father, Bella, nor would I ever be able to replace such a great man. But you are like a daughter to me now, and well, I wanted you to have something that represented that from me." He smiled and kissed her forehead. "We all welcome you to our family whole-heartedly and look forward to a long life together."

"Thank you. All of you," Bella said softly, sitting up to face the rest of us. Her warm eyes were filled with emotion and she very humanly wiped at them, knowing in her mind that her hand would come away dry, but feeling too much in her heart to still the gesture. "I am so grateful to all of you for everything you have sacrificed for me and for Edward. Taking care of Charlie when I couldn't was more than I could ever ask for. Thank you," she said, smiling for everyone.

"Bella, we're family and this is what family does for one another," Alice replied sweetly.

"We did what had to be done to ensure that we could go on living as we do, and that all of those we care for were safe. That included Charlie and your mom," Jasper added.

"We will always make sure that they are cared for and safe from harm," Carlisle finished. "Thankfully, the wolves are a great help in that department."

Bella slipped her arms inside of her father's shirt and then nestled herself against my side. _'I miss him, Edward.'_

'_If there had been any other way, Bella—'_

"I know, Edward. But is he really safe? Is Renee?" she asked aloud.

"Well, boys, here are your gifts from us," Esme interrupted, sensing that Bella was beginning to sadden at the thought of her parents needing more protection. Esme handed each of us a box, focusing the attention in the room onto our gifts.

Jasper and Alice opened his large rectangular gift, revealing a Civil War chess set. "This is amazing!" he exclaimed, taking it fully out of the box. "Bella, can you play chess?"

"No," she chuckled. "But I bet Edward and Alice can."

"They cheat," Jasper said, frowning at Alice and me.

"It's not cheating," I defended. "We just have unique advantages that don't turn off."

Emmett finally ripped into his gift, somehow managing not to damage the more delicate box that had been hiding inside. He lifted the lid and revealed a set of collector's knives. The hilts were made of buck antlers and had a Grizzly Bear hand-carved into each one.

"Whoa, this is badass!" Emmett bellowed, spinning the knives in his hands masterfully.

"Emmett, watch your mouth. And yes, yes they are bada—wonderful," Esme said, laughing at her almost slip-up.

I opened my own gift and found the most exquisite cufflinks. Set against a thin sliver of topaz was a lion's face, made of shiny titanium. The lions appeared to be roaring as they looked out with their sapphire eyes.

I smiled wide as I passed them to Bella and regarded my parents. "Thank you both. They're beautiful."

Esme's smile covered her face completely. "We hope you all enjoy your gifts. Carlisle and I wanted to make sure you all knew just how much we missed each of you." She leaned to the side and caressed Rose's cheek, beaming at her daughter. "This time apart has made us all acutely aware of how precious our family is."

Once we'd all passed around our gifts for the others to see, Carlisle stood and cleared his throat. "Well, it's been a long day for all us. I think I'll head up to my study and unpack."

"Good idea, honey," Esme agreed. "And I should see to the rest of our luggage."

With a few more hugs, kisses, and gentle words, our family dispersed into their own separate quarters, leaving Bella and me alone in the den. My head rested on her lap as she lounged on the couch, running her fingers through my hair.

"Today was a very good day," she said softly.

"Indeed it was," I replied, kissing the back of her free hand. We continued to lie about, content to just be with each other.

Before I knew it, dawn was creeping into the windows across from us. I leaned my head back to look at Bella and she smiled at down at me, caressing my chest.

"Careful, my love, you might start something there," I sighed.

A mischievous grin formed on her beautiful face as her tiny fingers continued to stroke my skin.

I slid a hand behind her head and pulled her down to me, kissing her lips in earnest. Her eager response spurred me on and I turned, managing to pull her body under mine at the same time. She sighed with pleasure at the contact.

"I love you Edward," she whispered breathily. Her words, so soft and tender, made me stop for a moment.

I caressed her angelic face, letting my fingers ghost against her silky smooth skin. "I adore you, Bella. For the rest of my days, I will love you," I promised kissing her sweetly. A soft sound from outside garnered my attention and I smiled as an idea quickly formed in my mind. "Let's go outside," I suggested.

"What, now?" she asked, bewildered that I would interrupt this intimate moment.

"Trust me, Lady," I said, wiggling my eyebrows and getting her to giggle.

We stepped into the garden just as the sun rose high enough to illuminate the grounds, turning the visible sky a light pink. Rain clouds loomed overhead and a light mist surrounded us, giving the feel that we were hidden in this part of the garden.

Bella giggled as she dashed away, hiding behind a marble statue in the middle of the rose bushes. Her mahogany hair managed to shimmer even in this dim light. I playfully chased her around the garden and under the low hanging branches of the outlying trees.

I finally caught up to her as the rain started to fall a little harder; still only a strong drizzle. I held her in my arms, the world around us disappearing as I gazed into her loving eyes. We began to move slowly in a small circle, dancing to our own tune.

"Bella, thank you," I said before I even realized I was going to speak.

"What for?" she asked, her eyebrows drawing together from her confusion.

"For giving me the life I never thought possible for myself," I replied.

"Well then I should thank you for the same," she said, kissing me softly.

My thoughts relayed my amusement as I alerted Bella of the change in our little world. _'It seems we have an audience, my love.'_

'_I know. She's been watching most of the time,'_ Bella thoughts informed me as she continued our kiss.

We both looked up to the second story balcony, not surprised to find Alice smiling coyly at us. We were, however, curious about the envelope she was waiving around in her hand.

"What are you up to now, little sister?" I called out.

"You guys should get out of the rain and come take a look at this," she replied as she turned and pranced back into the house.

I lifted Bella's hand from my shoulder and pressed a kiss to the back of it. "Shall we?"

"Please," she replied, giving me a little curtsy.

I kept her hand in mine and led her back into the house to join the others. Alice met us at the door, tossing each of us a towel.

"This was just delivered," Alice chirped, spinning in a circle so that everyone saw the envelope. "It's going to be so much fun!"

"For God's sake, woman, what is it?" Emmett asked gruffly.

Alice's smile broadened and her golden eyes twinkled in the early morning light. She seemed very pleased with whatever news was contained within that envelope—and determined to make me wait with everyone else to find out.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:** The characters in this story belong to Stephenie Meyer.

Thank you so much for all of your encouragement! It has been alot of fun writing this one. I hope you all enjoy the next chapter!

~Velvet Blood Roses~

* * *

"_This was just delivered," Alice chirped, spinning in a circle so that everyone saw the envelope. "It's going to be so much fun!"_

"_For God's sake, woman, what is it?" Emmett asked gruffly._

"Alice, I think you should tell us what you have there before Emmett bursts," Esme teased.

"Yeah, Alice, you interrupted a perfectly romantic moment," Bella added, giggling at my side as we all stared at her, amused at her candidness. Bella had been very shy as a human.

"Well," Alice teased, drawing out the word. "It seems that "La Societe de Couer de Lion" has invited us to their Masquerade Ball in two weeks!" she said excitedly.

Emmett let out a groan and sank into the chair next to Rose. "Oh, God! Not _that_ again!" he bellowed.

"Isn't this exciting, Bella?" Alice asked, ignoring Emmett's foul mood.

Bella's forehead scrunched up with confusion. "What is La Soci…societ...Who are they?" she asked.

"It's French for 'The Society of the Lion Heart'," Carlisle replied before I could get the words out. "They are one of the oldest vampire societies in our history. Their leader, William, is one of the oldest and most powerful vampires still with us. He is also a direct descendent of King Richard I, 'The Lion Heart'. His wife, Camille, is of French noble blood and is highly revered. A few hundred years ago, she started 'La Societe de Couer de Lion' in honor of her husband's heritage, assuring that its members are only the elite of our kind. Every few years, they host a Masquerade Ball. Needless to say, when you receive an invitation, it is not to be refused. Camille and William are probably the only other vampires in the world that Aro feels are his equals, although they are very different than the Volturi. William and Camille are both very gracious, and for the most part benevolent," he finished, ignoring the way we had all tensed at the mention of the Volturi.

"Wow," Bella whispered.

"_Wow_ is right. After our last visit, I thought we would never get invited back," Rose sneered.

"What happened last time?" Bella asked.

"Well, Love, let's just say some of our tempers got the best of us and we were almost escorted out," I replied.

"Tempers?" she questioned, her forehead creasing once again.

I chuckled as I pulled Bella against my side. "Emmett got a little out of hand is all."

"He wasn't much of a dancer so he and Rose were just sitting at the table. As the night wore on, more and more men approached Rose to dance. And well, let just say one got a little too close for comfort and Emmett almost ripped him apart," Alice explained as Emmett got up from his chair. We watched him leave the room in an annoyed huff, muttering under his breath about stupid dances and brainless men.

"He still seems a little upset about it," Bella chuckled. "Maybe we should just skip it."

"No way are we skipping this thing," Rose stated firmly. "Emmett will just have to control himself better. Although, I do wonder why we would get invited again after that. I mean, we did sort of cause a scene. Camille isn't known for allowing that sort of thing to happen at all, much less risking a repeat."

"Bella is the reason why," I said matter-of-factly. "They're curious about her, and even more curious about us being back in Europe after all this time."

"How do you know this, Edward? Jasper asked.

"A few months ago, Bella and I were in town and came across one of the men in the society, Roland. He was very cordial, and extremely interested in Bella," I replied, remembering all the questions he had asked about Bella and why we were here, including the ones he hadn't voiced out loud.

"What did you tell him?" Esme asked concerned.

"I simply told him that Bella was my mate and we were spending some time in the manor house. He seemed to be pacified with that for the moment, but he was already thinking up ways to run into us again. I just didn't think it would be so soon," I explained.

"That man was actually very pleasant." Bella added.

"Yes, they are all very cordial when they choose to be," Esme responded, still seeming concerned.

"His thoughts were very clear, Esme," I said, trying to ease her worry. "He meant no harm and was simply surprised that after all this time I finally had someone at my side. Not everyone is going to be out to hurt us, Mom."

"I know that, of course. I just don't like not knowing people's motivations," Esme replied.

"Well, I think it will be fun for us to go. We can see some old friends and introduce them to Bella. Plus the girls always enjoy it," Carlisle said.

Jasper moved across the room and sat next to Rose. "I would be happy to talk to Emmett and help with his dancing," he offered, giving her a warm smile.

"Jasper, you would do that?" she replied, looking hopeful and relieved.

"Of course I will, and Edward will help," he added, turning his eyes to me in a silent plea.

"Yes, I'll try to help twinkle-toes, too," I said jokingly.

"Then it's settled. We are going to the ball!" Alice squealed. "We'll need masks for everyone, beautiful ball gowns for us ladies, and dashing suits for the men, and new shoes!"

"Wait a minute, wait a minute," Bella said, holding her hands up in the air. "I don't dance, you guys. Especially not in the presence of nobility," she quipped.

I wrapped my arms around her tighter, trying to comfort her. "You will be fine. I'll make sure of it," I whispered in her ear.

"Ugh! This has disaster written all over it!" she said, half smiling.

"Think of it, Love," I pleaded, trying to charm her into agreement. "We will be in a beautiful setting, surrounded by our family. You may even meet some of our old friends."

Bella tensed slightly. "I think I've met enough of your friends."

"Not all vampires are like the nomads, or Aro's group," I said reassuringly.

"Well, minus the dancing part, it does seem pretty exciting," she replied, smiling eagerly at me. "I've never been to anything that fancy in my life."

"I better go see to Emmett before he does something stupid. Or even worse…before he sulks," Rose stated getting up and heading outside to find him.

"And I'm off to contact some designer friends of mine about our gowns. Bella, start thinking about what colors you'd like to wear," Alice chirped as she danced toward the doorway. She stopped and turned, giving Bella a smile that was a little too sweet. "On second thought, I pick better for you anyway."

"Knock yourself out, Alice," Bella chuckled.

"Don't you want any say-so?" I asked, leading Bella toward our room to change out of our damp clothes.

"No, not really. Alice will veto anything I pick and I'll just get frustrated with her. It's easier to let her have her fun and resign myself to being shoved into a dress that I'll love in the end."

I chuckled at the honest truth of her statement, but was interrupted by a fleeting image of a dark blue strand of fabric with some golden fleck or imprint. I shook my head and the image immediately disappeared, as if it had never been there.

"Everything okay?" Bella asked, rubbing my arm lightly.

"Fine, Love. Just an errant thought; probably Emmett thinking up ways to get out of the ball."

The days to come were filled with us getting back into a family rhythm. We were all trying to adjust without stepping too much on each other toes, but it seemed to be the hardest for Bella and me. We'd grown accustomed to having the house to ourselves and it being a quiet place for reflection and relaxation. With Alice and Rose in ball planning mode and Emmett sulking, there was rarely a quiet moment to be found. I assumed the stress was the reason Bella and I were having a little trouble sharing our minds just recently.

She and I were also used to just doing things as we felt the need, but Alice had gotten into planning every moment of our days until the night of the ball, including when and how long we were allowed to hunt. Esme finally saved us the best she could, putting her foot down and forcing Alice to schedule at least four hours a day of alone time for each couple.

The week of the ball arrived and I turned one of the downstairs guest rooms into a dance floor for Bella and Emmett. Jasper helped me to move all of the furniture and carpets into one of the other rooms, leaving us with the beautiful hard wood floor to practice on. I had thought about using one of the solariums instead, but knew that Bella would get distracted with the gardens being so near. She loved to walk through them, but she'd barely had enough time for that in the last week. But despite all of the upheaval, neither of us would want our family members to be anywhere else.

"Excellent, Bella," I said proudly as she flawlessly made a complete turn for me. "The more you focus on me and not your feet, the smoother your twirl around that dance floor will be."

"I'm just lucky to have such a good teacher," she chuckled, kissing my cheek. She turned and smiled wickedly at Jasper. "You look so forlorn over there. Has your student bailed once again?"

"Yes," Jasper growled. "And I'm going to kill him for it."

"Why don't we just go and grab him and force him to come in here?" I suggested.

"If you can find where he's hiding this time," Jasper shrugged.

I stood still and listened closely hoping Emmett wasn't out of "hearing" range. He often forgot how far I could actually hear and missed being outside of it by a mile or two.

I'd almost given up when Emmett's weak thoughts reached me. _'What the heck are we doing with a barn on this property? Not like we could have horses. We'd crush 'em if we didn't scare 'em to death first. Still, the horseshoes are fun to play with.'_

I chuckled and shook my head at his thoughts. "Jasper, he's in the old horse barn."

The three of us shot out of the room and across the grounds of the property, careful to circle the back of the barn and sneak up on Emmett. Jasper lunged for the big guy's legs while I captured him around the neck and Bella smacked into his chest, knocking him to the ground and sitting on him.

"Hi, Emmett," she giggled. "We missed you."

"Get off," he grumbled, trying to free himself.

"You are coming to your dance lesson today and for the rest of the week," Jasper demanded. "Rose is looking forward to this ball and you aren't going to disappoint her."

"She knows I don't dance," Emmett fussed.

"But she would love it so much. Please, Emmett," Bella pleaded.

"I look ridiculous in suits," he protested.

"No one looks ridiculous in the clothing Alice picks out," she argued.

"Fine," he huffed. "Just get off me."

"Yeah," Bella clapped as she gracefully jumped off of him and stood at my side.

The four of us walked back to the house, with Jasper and I only having to stop Emmett's escape a few times.

"What are you in such a mood for?" Bella asked. "If I can learn to dance, you definitely can."

He shrugged and frowned. "I'm too big to dance. I always step on Rose's feet and she gets all mad at me for scuffing her shoes."

"Emmett, if you really try to learn from Edward and Jasper, they'll make sure you won't mess up," Bella assured him. "Edward has only been teaching me for two days and I've almost stopped stepping on his feet."

As the days wore on, the feelings of excitement and anxiety grew in the house. Bella and Emmett were both nervous about having to actually dance, while Esme was still worried about the reason behind our invitation. My own mood was one of frustration—I'd started having odd visions and they were coming at the oddest of times. I was also having trouble hearing Bella's thoughts and allowing her to hear my own. I couldn't seem to stay focused long enough to make the connection that had been so easy for us just weeks ago.

Bella and the rest of the girls were currently upstairs, going on about the gowns they had purchased in town this morning. They refused to let any of us see them and were going to extremes to keep me out of their heads—they were not aware of my lack of focus and I wanted to keep it that way until I knew what was going on.

Carlisle, Emmett, Jasper, and I had been sent out this morning as well, with Alice's strict instructions on the types of suits we were allowed to purchase. Honestly, I was shocked she trusted us at all.

With the gowns stored away upstairs and our suits hanging in our closets, we were finally ready for the ball, all except for our masks. Alice had demanded she be solely in charge of them. They had arrived yesterday afternoon and Alice had promptly hidden them somewhere in the massive manor house, afraid of them getting lost or ruined in some way.

I was sitting at the desk in the den while Carlisle, Jasper and Emmett were out sparring. The sounds of their laughter and taunting floated to me on the light summer breeze that was flowing through the large open window. The pen in my hand absent-mindedly made its way around the pad in front of me. No matter how many times I tried to draw something else, the pen would lift from the paper and I would find the same things: lion heads and banners. They differed slightly from one to the other, but all had large manes and regal looks about them.

Finally, I tossed the pen down, annoyed at how my mind continued to space out. I got up and walked out of the side doors and into the bright afternoon sun, hoping the fresh air would do me some good.

I stood in the warm sun, turning my face up a little and taking in a deep breath. Opening myself up to Bella's mind, I heard her giggling with Alice about the amount of cleavage in Rose's dress.

Hoping she would be able to hear me, I pushed my thoughts toward her. '_I am going for a walk, my love_.'

'_Would you like for me to join you, Edward?_' she asked, her thoughts laced with concern.

'_No, I'll be fine. Go ahead and finish up getting your dress ready for the ball tomorrow night. I'll just head toward Carlisle and the others_.'

'_Alright then, but you better come rescue me when you get back.'_

'_Will do, sweetie.' _I smiled, relieved that she had been able to hear and share with me so easily. I hadn't realized how much I enjoyed my connection with her until it started to disappear.

The sky was completely cloudless as I strolled through the side gardens, filling myself up on the sweet smells of the flora surrounding me. The various statues placed throughout were truly beautiful against the lapis sky.

I'd expected that being in such a peaceful atmosphere would help, but I was still having a hard time focusing my mind. I placed my hands in the pockets of my slacks as I walked along lifting my head to the sunshine as if it would wipe away the haze that my mind was lost in. The only thing that seemed to allow me to get any sort of grip was closing off my thoughts, but that just frustrated me in a different way.

I headed past the pool and into the rose garden, letting my other senses take over since my eyes and mind were closed for the moment. As soon as the roses filled my nostrils, I paused and opened my eyes, surveying the beauty of the setting of our new life. I missed the forests of Forks from time to time, but I loved this house and the grounds nearly as much.

As I ran my fingers along the soft petals of the flowers, I felt a steady gaze from above. I blew out a breath and then opened my mind again, hoping the confusion and frustration wouldn't return, or at least not right away. The second I freed my mind, I could see myself from Bella's eyes; she was watching me from Alice's window.

I glanced up at her, placing my hand on my heart. '_I love you_.' I hoped she could hear the love behind my simple thought.

She smiled in response and I felt assured that she knew just how much she meant to me.

"He is something else," Esme said, coming to stand behind her. I was close enough to the house to easily hear them.

"Like a lion guarding his pride," Alice mused.

"He always feels he has to guard everyone. Even now when we're here and safe, he's out patrolling like some superhero guardian," Rose added, appearing behind Esme with a smile on her face. The time she had spent with Charlie, helping him to move forward without Bella, had softened Rose in the most remarkable ways and I was glad to have this new relationship with her. She seemed to have finally forgiven me for not wanting her when she'd first joined this life.

"He will always feel that our protection is his responsibility," Bella said as her hand pressed against the window.

I smiled at her response and continued on my walk, thinking on all of their words. I had to admit I did take their safety very seriously, but I was just out taking a walk, nothing more—certainly not "patrolling". Why would I be? Just as Rose had said, they were safe in the house.

I headed into the woods, following the sounds of Carlisle and Emmett sparring. I turned in their direction, deciding to join them.

"Ah, perfect timing, Edward!" Carlisle called out as I stepped out of the trees and into the small clearing. "Emmett and I were just taking a break and Jasper has been itching for a match."

Jasper immediately met me in the middle of the makeshift ring to start a session. "You seem out of sorts, Edward. Everything alright?" he asked as we circled one another.

"Yes, I'm fine. I just have a lot on my mind," I replied. "I guess I'm a little anxious about tomorrow night."

"That's understandable, we all are," he said as he offered up a high kick that I blocked easily. "I see you haven't lost your speed, brother," he taunted.

"Old habits die hard I suppose," I chuckled as I dropped him to his knees with a side swipe.

Emmett and Carlisle clapped and started up another session of their own. Normally, I would have kept at this, but I just couldn't get into the mood. I sat on the ground, watching Emmett and Carlisle laugh as they traded punches.

Jasper sat next to me, dusting off his jeans. His thoughts let me know he was trying to figure out how to approach me about my conflicting feelings.

"How is the dancing coming along?" I asked, pointing my chin at Emmett and hoping to distract Jasper.

"He will be fine provided he just focuses on the steps and the music. If he overanalyzes what he's doing, he'll freak himself out," Jasper replied. "But we have definitely made progress. How is Bella doing?" he asked.

"She is amazing. Of course, she thinks otherwise. But she can't deny that she's caught on quickly," I said. "She will do beautifully," I added, smiling at the thought of dancing with her tomorrow night.

Jasper opened his mouth, ready to question me about my mood, but before he could say a word, Emmett interrupted. "Carlisle, you broke my foot! Guess that means I can't go to the dance tomorrow."

"Nice try, son," Carlisle chuckled. "But as your doctor, I clear you to attend the ball and dance with your wife."

The sun was setting by the time we made our way home. The manor was filled with the laughter of the four beautiful women we loved. They were in one of the solariums, finally being allowed a peek at the masks for tomorrow night.

I immediately went to Bella, kissing her lips softly as she wrapped her arms around me. "I've missed you, Edward," she whispered.

"I've missed you, too," I replied between kisses. "Is everything ready with your dress?" I asked sitting in a lounge chair.

"Yes, it's really beautiful. I'm just not sure I can pull it off," she stated shyly.

"You will be perfect," I said as we all sat down. Esme had the boxes with our masks piled around her and she lifted the lid for the first one, looking just as excited as Alice.

My mind kept floating in and out of the present conversation as my family carried on about the masks. No matter how hard I tried to pay attention, I kept seeing visions of banners fluttering in the wind atop high towers. This time what was in my head was clearer than it had been before. In the first vision, the banner was a dark grey with our family crest imprinted in silver. The second vision held a dark blue banner with a golden roaring lion's head. The visions flipped back and forth, growing murky and then melting into each other before solidifying once again.

A subtle mental sigh of aggravation alerted me to two things right away…One, Alice was trying to snap herself out of a vision. And two, it had been far too long since I'd shared a mind touch with my sister. I'd thought these visions of lion heads and banners had been my own, but they were only the clear images I'd picked out of the possible futures Alice was being allowed to see. From the frustrated tone of her "voice", I knew she had no more idea of why she was seeing these things than I'd had over the past week.

Bella shook my arm as she called my name. "Edward? You're a million miles away," she said smiling at me.

"I'm sorry, Bella. What were you saying?" I asked, my mind still a bit confused and distracted from those odd visions.

"Would you do it all over again?" she asked in a whisper.

I gave an unnecessary blink, trying to recall her question. I didn't want to ask her to repeat herself once again and chance upsetting her. Since I'd started having these odd images invading my mind, I'd lost part of my connection with Bella. We had to work hard to hear each other lately and I knew it was bothering her even though she hadn't brought it up out loud yet.

Figuring I couldn't cause any damage with a short, simple answer, I gave my reply. "No, probably not."

Evidence of my mistake was immediate as Bella shot up, her face contorted with pain and her golden eyes filled with hurt. Her mask clattered to the floor as she disappeared from the room.

Before I had a chance to go after her, Emmett pinned me against the wall, snarling in my face while Jasper and Rosalie tried to pull him off of me.

"Let him go, Emmett," Jasper ordered. "He's confused and doesn't even know what's going on."

"What is wrong with you?" Emmett growled. "You made Bells cry. How could you say that?"

"We need to find out why he said it before you rip him to pieces," Rose said, being the voice of reason for once.

"It's not his fault," Alice protested, trying to help Jasper pull one of his Emmett's hands from around my neck.

"What is the matter with you, how could you?" Esme cried, standing next to me. The fact that she wasn't trying to get Emmett off of me sent me into a panic. For Esme to leave me to be hurt by my brother…Oh, God! What had I done?

"Emmett, back off," Jasper demanded. "I can't calm your anger and deal with Edward's confusion and panic at the same damn time."

"ENOUGH!" Carlisle roared. "All of you! Take a seat, now!"

Rose, Alice, and Jasper immediately lifted their hands and stepped away from me while Esme moved to stand beside Carlisle. Emmett growled once more and sucker-punched me low in the abdomen.

"Emmett, that's enough," Carlisle hissed. My father very rarely ever hissed.

"He deserves a hell of a lot more than that for a response like that," Emmett argued, folding his arms in front of his massive chest.

"He also deserves a fair trial," Carlisle said, putting his hand on my shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"Fine. Just a little winded from the punch," I replied, taking a step away from Emmett. I ran my hands though my hair trying to get a hold of myself. "Someone, please tell me what I did. What was Bella's question?"

Alice stared down at her feet, rubbing the back of one shoe with the toe of the other. Jasper rubbed the back of his neck, looking up toward the ceiling. Emmett continued to glare daggers at me, making his arm muscles ripple back and forth. Esme had tears standing in her eyes as she looked at me and Carlisle shook his head the slightest bit, pitying me.

"Edward, haven't you learned from Emmett to never answer a question if you don't know what was asked?" Rose questioned, clearly disappointed in me.

"I didn't think I'd missed that much of the conversation," I admitted.

"Oh, Edward," Rose sighed. "She asked if you would go through all of what you went through again to get to tonight to have moments like these and your reply was '_No, probably not'_."

Her words sunk in and my heart sank with it. I shook my head, as if that would erase the mistake. "But…she has to know…I would never," I sputtered. What was wrong with me? Something had been clouding my mind for days and now it was seeping into my life with Bella—_ruining_ my life with her.

My feet moved faster than they ever had before, racing up the stairs, down the hall of our wing, and into the room Bella and I shared. There was a strong wind coming through the open balcony door, carrying her unique freesia scent toward me.

"Bella, there has been a grave misunderstanding, please let me explain," I begged as I crossed the room in two long strides.

My words were met with silence.

I stepped onto the balcony, wincing at the sight of her rigid form. "Bella, I didn't mean to—"

"Edward." That one word both stopped me and chilled me. She couldn't really believe that would be my answer…could she?

"Bella, I—"

"Don't," she said calmly, cutting me off again. This was not a good calm; this was the kind of calm before a hurricane destroyed lives in mere seconds and turned entire houses into piles of rubble. "You've been zoned out for days, and today most of all," she continued in that same calm tone. "I've been having a hard time even connecting with your thoughts, much less sharing them with you. And now you tell me that you wouldn't want to do this all over again," she said, shaking her head slightly.

She turned and her golden eyes burned with pain, anger, and fear. When she spoke this time, her voice trembled with the rage she was trying to suppress. "I feel like I shouldn't blame you after I've turned your world upside down, but I guess I'm just selfish that way…Those three words hurt me more than you will ever know."

"Bella, if you'll just give a moment to explain, I—"

She hissed at me and roughly pushed me away from her, making me stumble back into our room. She advanced on me, her chest heaving with her fury. "I left my family for you, Edward. I left everything for you. I _died_ for you." Her words were steel knives in my heart and I unconsciously grabbed my shirt, trying to swallow back my pain so that I could fix hers.

She pushed me once again, this time sending me out into the hallway; her eyes had lost a little of the anger, but none of the pain and fear. "I want to be alone, Edward," she stated firmly, slamming the door closed in my face.

The wood touched the end of my nose and my breath bounced off the door and against my face. I stood there dumbfounded, not knowing what to do. How could this have happened? How could she honestly think that would _ever_ be my answer? Did she not have any concept of just how much I loved her?

I placed my hand on the door, feeling the rough wood under my palm and wishing fiercely that it was her skin. I turned and slid down the door to sit. "Bella, I have lived almost a century in the emptiness of a life without you. There has never been any doubt in my heart that I would do everything over again. Bella, how could _you_ doubt me?" I asked, barely keeping my hysteria at bay. "**Bella, I can't live in a world where you don't exist**. You are my sun, my moon, my stars…you are _everything_."

The silence from the bedroom was deafening as it crushed me, leaving me to sit miserably in front of the closed door.

No one came toward our room. No one sent "helpful" thoughts to me. The only thoughts in my mind were my own, berating me for being such a huge "fuck-up", to use one of Emmett's terms. Every so often, I could catch a glimpse of Bella's pained and sorrowful thoughts, but for the most part, she was working hard to keep me completely out.

Not long before dawn, she lapsed in her efforts to seclude me from her mind and what I saw and heard made me feel like I deserved nothing more than to go downstairs and let Emmett rip me apart. Bella was crumpled in a ball on our bed, staring at her reflection in one of the mirrors on the wall. Her eyes were filled with tears she couldn't shed and her bottom lip trembled with the sobs she was holding inside. She was wondering what she had done wrong, what she had done to upset me in the last two weeks that would cause me to pull away from her and resent her. She thought my answer was her fault and she wasn't ready to hear that she was mistaken. She was hurting too much just now to listen to my explanation, but the second—the absolute millisecond she was ready—I would be in that room with her, doing my best to erase all of her fear and doubt and to make up for being such an idiot. Living without her was _not_ an option; it hadn't been for quite some time now.

Knowing there was nothing I could do; I forced myself up from the floor and made my way to the music room. The sight of my piano pained me. The last time I'd been in front of it was the day our family had arrived—a day when Bella had been happy. Sitting down at the bench, I felt a much sharper pain, this one in my throat. It had been days since we'd last hunted and with the torture of my mistake so strong, I had grown thirsty. But I would suffer it in silence as part of my penance.

I looked around the room, noticing all the drapes were closed except for the one on the far end of the room. The ray of early morning sunlight that filtered through was offensive in my darkened mood. How could the sun shine when Bella was upstairs in pain?

I touched the keys without thinking of what I would play and Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" soon rang through the room, wrapping around me in my despair. I was near the end when Bella's thoughts filtered through again, letting me know that Alice and Rose were trying to talk to her. Her "voice" abruptly disappeared and I knew that she had refused them as well.

I played song after song, not knowing what else to do with myself. The wait was excruciating but if I went upstairs before she was ready to receive me, it would only hurt her more and I refused to do that. I refused to be that selfish. I would let the guilt and despair eat me alive before I harmed her.

The others eventually left to hunt together, leaving us alone in the too quiet manor. I continued to play and listen, waiting for my chance to make things right.

Those images of the banners started to fill my mind once again. They danced in the wind against a bright blue sky; a golden lion's head roaring on a dark blue banner. The banners swayed, revealing a massive crowd of people in a courtyard—faces I could not see clearly. The image changed again and now I was standing in an ornate room lit only with candles. Deep burgundy curtains parted, showering the room in the bright sunlight and illuminating the white dress that was just behind the curtains. A few small steps forward and the dress would be bathed in the sunlight.

The train was like a cloud, wispy and soft. The mahogany hair of the woman in the dress was picked up in a loose bun with just a few small, curled tendrils falling on her delicate shoulders. Her alabaster skin sparkled from the sun reflecting off the marble floor. She turned and smiled, lifting the edge of her dress—time slowed as her lips moved and her feet carried her closer to me. Understanding slammed into me and my playing became more forceful and frantic. She was _Bella_ and it was our wedding day. She was calling my name and running towards me. My mind reeled with joy as she grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the sunlight.

How could I have such a beautiful moment filling my mind's eye when the only woman I would ever love was upstairs hurting and feeling unwanted? This was agony.

I couldn't take this anymore. She was shutting me out over a misunderstanding and I couldn't let this go on. I _would_ make this right…But what if she refused me?

I snapped out of my tormented mind rant and shot up for the door, grabbing my car keys and jacket from the table in the foyer. I was in my car within seconds and at the sound of the engine, Bella's wall fell down. Her "voice" filled my mind for just a few seconds, revealing her confusion as she stared after my car from our balcony.

Bella's confused thoughts were overwhelmed and replaced by Alice's internal shrieks of excitement over my decision. She assured me with her thoughts that she would keep my secret—for now.

I was in town within the hour, parking the car across the street from "Bartholomew Jeweler's". I had shopped here a few other times for gifts for Esme and Alice and was fairly certain they would have what I needed.

"Good Morning, Sir," greeted the man behind the counter. "May I help you find something in particular?"

"Yes. I'm looking for an engagement ring. It has to be unique and not very modern. She likes old things. Something with sapphires and diamonds, maybe," I said.

"Right over here, Sir," he replied with a smile. "I think I have just the thing." He led me to a glass cabinet at the end of the aisle that housed various antique settings with an assortment of gems.

My eyes were immediately drawn to a square vintage piece. It had sapphire teardrops on each corner of the square and on the sides of the band. The rest of the setting was covered in small diamonds. It was perfect.

"This one, I'll take this one," I said, pointing at the ring.

The man removed the ring from the case and handed it to me for a closer look.

I carefully slipped it onto my pinky finger, confident that if it fit there, it would fit Bella. "Yes, definitely this one," I confirmed, smiling like an idiot simply because it fit.

"How soon do you need it, Sir?" he asked.

"Now," I replied curtly. For some reason, I felt that I couldn't leave the store without the ring.

"But, Sir, we would need time to clean it and ready it for—"

I interrupted him by sliding a black credit card across the glass counter. "Now, please," I stated.

"Yes, yes, of course, Sir. It will only be a minute," he replied, glancing quickly at me before looking away. He wasn't sure if I was crazy or just foolishly in love. His thoughts wished me luck either way.

On the way home, I kept thinking of how I should ask her. It had to be special. Something she wasn't expecting, but that would mean everything to her. I had to ask in a way that she couldn't refuse.

I finally decided that tonight at the ball would be perfect. I would just have to keep my mind closed off for a bit longer. I would get home and make amends with her as much as possible, and then tonight, I would prove to her just how much I wanted her in my life. The drive back felt overwhelmingly long.

I parked the car in the garage and before I was fully out the car door, my face was met with a hard slap; the sound ricocheted off the garage walls.

My face hardened with the impact, but I forced it to soften, wanting her to see I was sorry.

"That's for last night," Bella said.

"I deserved that," I said softly.

She slapped me again. "That's for leaving this morning without a word."

I nodded my head, letting her finish before trying to explain. She had quite a few things she wanted to say before letting me speak.

"Do you even care that you're worrying me? You've been distracted for so long now and I can barely hear your thoughts, Edward. Is this how it's going to be now? You'll go off whenever you want without saying a word? Instead of upsetting me and torturing yourself, why don't you just get it all over with now? Be honest and tell me how I've become a burden. Tell me you don't want me. I can't promise not to hate you for—"

I cut her off, pressing her body to the jeep behind her and kissing her madly. At first she tried to push me away, her thoughts screaming that I was only ripping her apart worse. But soon enough, she couldn't deny the love and passion in my kiss and she melted into it.

"I love you, Bella," I professed, holding her delicate face in my shaking hands. "Never _ever _doubt that. I'm sorry about last night, but you have to know it was a complete misunderstanding."

"But, Edward—"

I interrupted her, pressing my finger to her soft lips. "Isabella, I need you to listen to me now. I need you to hear what I'm saying and not let that absurd mind of yours doubt my sincerity. I love you. Not only would I do it all over again, I would die a thousand deaths as long as you are there on the other side."

"But then, why did you say that?" she asked, her forehead creasing in that adorable way it always had.

I smiled and tried to kiss those lines away as I explained. "I've been having these visions and my head has been clouded."

"Visions? How can you have visions? Why are you having visions?" she asked concerned.

"They're not anything bad, but I don't want to talk about them just yet. Not until I know more about them. The important thing for you to know is that I was simply somewhere else in my mind last night. That's all. I didn't hear your question and instead of asking you to repeat yourself, I stupidly just blurted something out. I'm sorry, Bella. I never meant to cause you any pain," I finished, kissing every inch of her beautiful face.

She ran her hands through my hair as she frantically kissed me back and gave a rushed apology. "Edward, I said horrible things to you. I'm so sorry. I've been so stressed out about the ball, and the dancing, and then when I couldn't hear you—"

"Ssh, Love," I whispered, showering her delicate neck with kisses. "You said nothing that wasn't true. I will always be undeserving of you, but always grateful. You are my life, now and forever."

We made our way inside the house, holding on to one another. Our family was waiting in the foyer, having already seen us coming.

"Oh, thank heavens!" Esme cried as she hugged us both.

Alice glared at me knowingly. I could see that she was ready to explode into wedding bliss frenzy so I narrowed my eyes at her and smiled—it was all the warning she needed to calm herself.

"Everything okay now?" Carlisle asked, concern in eyes.

"Yes, I'm an idiot and I over-reacted," Bella answered first.

I held her tightly and added to her explanation. "We are all on edge lately, and it was just a misunderstanding."

We started to walk towards the living room when Emmett caught my eye. "Edward, can I talk to you?" he asked gruffly.

"Sure, Em. Bella, I'll be right in," I said softly as she released me to join the others.

Her worried eyes glanced between Emmett and me before she disappeared into the living room.

Emmett moved toward the stairs, wanting a semblance of privacy. "Listen, Eddie, I'm sorry I was an ass yesterday," he began almost immediately. "I've been stretched to my limit lately and well…Seeing Bella like that sent me over the edge," he continued, rubbing the back of his neck.

I sat at the foot of the staircase and folded my hands together, taking a relaxed pose to show him I wasn't upset. "Emmett, you don't have to apologize. I would have done the same in your position. Besides, it's become increasingly apparent that we are all anxious about tonight."

Emmett sat next to me and folded his arms over his knees, resting his large chin on his forearm. "So, what is going on with you, bro? It isn't like you to lose your grip like that."

"My head is just muddled with pictures," I replied, not really wanting to get into it. And then in the next second, I found myself too curious to resist. "Can I ask you something though, Em? Have you ever seen a banner with a golden roaring lion on it?" I questioned.

"A banner with a lion? No, I don't think so. But maybe this is all coming up because of Dick's big party."

"Who?" I asked.

Emmett rolled his eyes at me. "Richard. The king dude. Didn't they call him the Lionheart all those years ago?"

"Yes, actually, you're right. They did. Maybe I'm just connecting the two with the visions." I realized too late that I hadn't mentioned the "vision" part before.

"What are you talking about, Edward? You're having visions?" he asked gruffly.

"It doesn't matter, Em. Let's just get back to the others. I've caused enough grief for one week," I said, standing up and putting an end to the conversation.

"Alright, whatever you say," Emmett sighed as he stood. "We good then?" he asked, slapping my back lightly.

"Of course we are," I replied, slapping him right back.

He put his arm around me and held on a little too tightly, chuckling as I winced. We made our way into the living room where the rest of the family was chatting about who might be at the party tonight. Bella still had that look of concern on her sweet face, but as soon as she saw Emmett embracing me, the worry disappeared.

She ran to Emmett and hugged him tightly. "You are such an ape, but I love you, Emmett Cullen. Best big brother ever!" she teased.

He tousled her hair and made his way to Rose on the couch.

"What am I chopped liver?" I asked teasing her.

"_You_…you, Mr. Cullen, are my world," she replied softly, wrapping her arms around my neck. "I'm such an idiot, Edward. I'm so sorry for last night," she whispered.

"You are not an idiot and there is nothing to be sorry for. Now let's forget this and go for a hunt. I am famished," I said, leading her out back.

Bella and I decided to take some time to ourselves and took longer than usual in the forest. We spent the afternoon reconnecting and I felt better than I had in the last few days. We talked endlessly about little nuances as we walked hand in hand down our favorite familiar paths, and spent time at the footbridge in the farthest corner of the forest. Such a simple afternoon, yet it felt so intimate to me and was obviously something we had both needed terribly.

It was late in the afternoon by the time we entered the house again. "Bella, get your butt up here!" Alice cried from the top of the stairs, tapping her little foot impatiently.

"Well, I guess that means its time to get dressed," Bella mused.

"Yes, it's almost time to go. Thank you for a lovely afternoon, Isabella. I will see you again shortly." I gave her a playful bow and placed a hand on the antique titanium box in my jacket pocket thankful that it had gone unnoticed.

Bella chuckled at my formality and placed a soft kiss on my cheek.

Alice cleared her throat loudly and Bella chuckled again, racing up the stairs. Alice giggled and wrapped her arm around Bella's, leading her off toward Esme's bedroom to get ready for the ball.

As I went upstairs toward my bedroom, I couldn't help but feel the excitement seeping out from Esme's room. Tonight was sure to be a wonderful experience.

I continued up the stairs, closing my mind to outside "voices". I wanted a few moments to myself…and a chance to finally look at the ring again.

I went into the washroom and removed the box from my pocket. It was very intricate and an heirloom in its own right. I marveled at the craftsmanship before carefully opening it.

The ring was exquisite. It sparkled in the light and I knew that this ring would change my life forever. Bella would make me the happiest man in the world…again.

For a brief second, I worried what I would do if she refused me. But I tossed that thought away, knowing Bella felt just as strongly for me as I did for her.

I looked at my reflection in the mirror and said a little prayer for tonight. I was not sure who would hear me, but I offered up my plea just the same.

I showered and wrapped a towel around my waist before heading towards our closet. I pulled out the suit I had purchased. It was black, with a vest that had gold and black filigree. Looking down at it, I wondered why I had picked such an ornate vest. Normally, I would have just gone with an all black suit.

I slipped into my pants, and then put on my socks and shoes. As I finished with the last button on my shirt, I thought of the cufflinks Esme had given me on the night they'd arrived at the manor.

I slid open my dresser drawer and pulled out the box. Opening it sent me into another tailspin as I was met with the faces of two small roaring lions. Had they been what had started all of these images of lions and banners? But how could that be when Alice was the one having the visions to begin with?

I shook my head, knowing I didn't have time to think on this now; I had to hurry. I carefully put on the cufflinks, enjoying the way they looked at my wrists. I put on my vest and suit jacket next, and then I attempted to run a comb through my unruly hair.

Once I was completely dressed, I was careful to remember to put the ring in my jacket's inner pocket. I turned to leave the room when a box on the bed caught my eye. I presumed my mask would be inside. Wanting to see what Alice had picked out; I opened the box and gasped at the half lion mask inside. It was golden and looked as though it would come down to my cheeks. This was really starting to be too much, constantly seeing lions all around me. I had to smirk at my sister—she obviously knew something I did not. She was also being very careful with her thoughts. I would have to get a moment alone with her soon.

I scanned the room once more to assure myself I wasn't forgetting anything and then headed downstairs. Jasper met me in the hallway and we walked down together, heading into the den.

Emmett was already there, sitting on the couch and thumbing through a magazine. "Hey, guys. Don't you both look pretty?" he teased.

"You don't look too shabby yourself, Emmett," Jasper retorted.

"Are you ready for some dancing?" I asked Emmett, amused at how his faced tensed.

"You boys just better be at the ready in case I screw this up," he sighed. "And I'm personally holding you both responsible."

I patted his shoulder roughly, getting him to smile. "You'll be fine. Just _try_ to have a good time," I told him.

Carlisle cleared his throat in the doorway, calling our attention to him. "Excuse me, gentlemen, but I do believe our presence is required in the foyer," he said, breaking into his native English accent.

We all chuckled and followed him out into the foyer. We each stood at different corners of the grand room at the foot of the stairs. Evening had descended and Alice had taken advantage of the darkness to properly set the mood for the ladies big reveal. Soft music played while candlelight flickered on the walls. The large chandelier had been turned on and was casting a soft glow over every surface. Alice never did anything half-way.

The first to appear at the top of the stairs was Esme; Carlisle stood straighter at the sight of her. He moved to the center of the room, unable to take his eyes off her. Esme's gown had a dark lavender bodice and the material became lighter the further down it went. It was strapless and embellished with silver vines that twisted from her torso, flowing throughout the long, wide skirt. Her caramel hair was tied back on the sides with lavender ribbons, and in her hand was a mask of silver that matched the shade of the vines in her dress. She looked amazing.

She reached the bottom of the steps and gave a little curtsy. Carlisle bowed to her with one arm behind him, never taking his eyes from her. He kissed the back of her hand and she smiled widely at his prose.

"You have rendered me speechless, Esme," he mused, taking her into his arms and moving over to the side to wait on the next girl.

We hardly had time to properly compliment her before Alice appeared at the top of the stairs. Her smile was infectious as she beamed down at Jasper from behind her mask. It was decorated with long black and red plumage that complimented her fair skin perfectly. Her usually spiky hair was slicked back, and an ornate choker drew attention to her slender neck. She wore a black, strapless dress with a tightly fitted bodice. The black material was grouped in beautiful layers, creating designs as it flowed into a wide skirt, complete with a train that slithered behind her as she came down the stairs.

Jasper's eyes went wide at the sight of her and he stopped breathing for a moment. A huge grin took over his face as he stepped forward and took her hand, kissing her neck as she leaned into him lovingly.

"You look amazing, Ally," he whispered as they took their place next to Esme and Carlisle.

Next up was Rosalie—she, of course, had the loudest dress so far, but it was beautiful just the same. She also wore the corset style dress, and although her gown was floor length, it didn't flair out nearly as far as Alice's or Esme's. The fabric was a brilliant red embellished with golden fleur-de-lis symbols. Her mask was simple and golden, covering her eyes and cheeks, and her hair was loose and curled. She looked like she had just walked out of the court of Marie Antoinette.

"There's my girl," Emmett said proudly, a broad grin on his face.

Rose wrapped her arms around his neck and he kissed her in earnest. I had to smile at their unabashed public display. Emmett grinned wide as he whipped her around in his arms to face the stairs again.

I was still musing at them when the one scent that could stop me in my tracks slammed into me. My head jerked up so quickly that it would have hurt a human.

The most beautiful sight I had ever seen filled my eyes as I stared at Bella atop the staircase. I felt my jaw drop at the very sight of her. Knowing every nuance of her face, I could tell if she were still capable of it, she would be blushing.

I somehow managed to take a step forward to the foot of the stairs as she started her descent. She was wearing a long black gown with the most regal golden filigree. It was all over the strapless bodice and swirled to the left before running down the front of the gown. The golden lioness mask that adorned her beautiful face matched mine.

I stood there, barely able to keep a coherent thought at the sight of her. She carefully made her way down the last of the stairs, her eyes never leaving mine. I could scarcely make out what the rest of my family was saying in regards to her. All I could see was the woman I loved.

She reached the foot of the stairs and stood before me, neither of us speaking. She removed her mask and kept her eyes locked to mine. The love swirling in her golden eyes was staggering. "Even when we don't know what the other is wearing, we still match," she mused.

I caressed her cheek with the back of my hand and kissed her lips softly. "You look magnificent, Bella," I whispered.

"Thank you. You look amazing yourself," she replied, caressing my shoulders and adjusting my lapel.

"What a beautiful family I have," exclaimed Carlisle. "I have a surprise for all of you."

We all looked at him, curious about what he could be up to. He motioned toward the door and led Esme outside as we followed.

There in the driveway was a black stretch limo with the driver waiting patiently near the back door—even he was dressed for the occasion, wearing a plain black eye mask. He opened the door and waved his hand for us to enter.

"Carlisle, you are the classiest man I have ever known," Esme sighed, kissing his cheek. He chuckled as he helped her into the car.

"This night is going to be so wonderful that it will take a century to top it," Alice declared as she and Jasper climbed into the limo.

"Like she'll ever stop trying to top herself," Bella chuckled as we followed after them.

"Dad, way to spare no expense," Emmett said as he and a giggling Rose got into the car last. "They can say what they want about us, but they can't ever say we don't have class."

"Why? What do they say about us?" Bella asked.

"Oh, you know," Alice said, waving her hand. "The usual."

"Strange eating habits, calling ourselves a family, living together and among the humans," Rose explained.

"Aren't there any other families like ours?" Bella asked.

"Our friends in Denali," Carlisle replied.

Once we were all comfortable, the car headed towards our destination. The ball was being held at Hever castle in Kent. It had been the childhood home of Ann Boleyn—William always did have a flair for the dramatic. I looked forward to seeing Bella's face when she saw the property. She thought the manor house was a castle; I was excited to see what she would think of an actual one.

The night sky was cloudless and the full moon hung low, seemingly following us. I held Bella's hand, enjoying the way she marveled at the view. Most of the trip was down country roads and she enjoyed seeing the small houses surrounded by farmland and trees.

About an hour or so later, we turned off the main road and were met with two men in black suits and sunglasses. They seemed to have ear pieces and waved for our driver to stop.

The driver rolled down the window to show our invitation and we were quickly waived through. We made one last turn, moving from the dirt road and onto a grassy area where the car stopped.

Our driver came around and opened our door. "This is as far as I am allowed to take you, Sir," he said respectfully to Carlisle.

"Thank you, Anthony," Carlisle replied. "No humans are allowed beyond this point," he whispered for Bella's benefit. He climbed out of the car and held out his hand for Esme.

Once they exited, we all followed suit. We stood there for a second, watching the limo drive away, but were soon bathed in headlights from an approaching car.

We started down the path, following the light and the guests ahead of us. We were all a bit awed at the torches that lined our way; they lit up the ground in front of us yet kept us from seeing anything more than a few feet ahead. Normally, our vampire sight would let us see for miles, but these had somehow been arranged to keep the suspense going, not letting us see our destination right away.

Bella's hand tightened in mine as she moved closer to me.

"Beautiful isn't it?" I whispered to her, kissing her cheek.

She didn't reply, and a small shiver ran through her.

I stopped us and looked down at her, wanting to make sure she was okay. "Are you going to be alright?" I asked, wrapping an arm around her shoulders to pull her even closer.

She nodded and smiled up at me. "I'm a little nervous, but I think I'll be okay. Just don't leave me for even a second."

I kissed her lips softly. "That is an easy request to grant as I had no plans to let you out of my arms, much less my sight." I took my arm away and bent it, holding it out to her. She smiled and slipped her arm through, holding tightly to me. Her head rested lightly on my shoulder and I could feel that some of her apprehension had faded.

As we made our way to catch up to our family, I couldn't help but smile. This would surely be an unforgettable night.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: **The characters in this story belong to Stephenie Meyer. Except of course for the new ones which I have taken the liberty of adding! I hope you are enjoying the story so far. It has been alot of fun to write.

If are looking for visual aids that I have used go to freewebs dot com/jessealexander4/apps/photos which is "My-Bella's" site. She has been a tremendous help!

Thank you again for all of your support, Enjoy!

~VBR~

* * *

Bella and I caught up to our family and were in step behind Carlisle and Esme. Torches lined the path we were to follow and silence surrounded us, broken only by the soft swishing of the women's gowns as we walked along.

The darkness seemed to swallow us up; it did not impair our vision, but the flicker of the torches did obscure it slightly. I could make out the shape and size of the majestic trees we passed under, but the details were lost to me. There were other guests behind our family now and they too marveled as much as we did, judging by their words and thoughts. Our hosts had truly gone out of their way to make this a memorable experience.

After a few yards, we made a sharp left and the trees parted, revealing the front courtyard of the castle. Our eyes had to adjust to the sudden barrage of light from the spectacles before us. There were men on stilts, clad in brightly colored jester costumes, ushering us forward and welcoming us to Hever as they weaved their way around the torches.

Fire breathers wearing nothing more than black pants and eye-masks dazzled with their show, sending flaming balls into the air all around us. Bella let out a soft gasp as one large flame crackled just about our heads. I chuckled at the pure, unsuppressed awe on her beautiful face, pulling her closer to me.

There was even a small band off to the corner playing Baroque classical music to the fanfare of dancers, both men and women dressed in brightly colored costumes. They matched perfectly with the peacocks roaming freely around us, their colors glistening in the firelight. The sights and sounds blended together to create the feeling that we had traveled back in time to attend a royal medieval festival.

A small line formed at the front gate, halting our journey to the castle. Sentries were posted on each side—no one would be allowed beyond this point without an invitation.

"This is beautiful, Edward," Bella whispered in awe.

"Wait until we get inside. The castle itself isn't the largest in the area, but the grounds are vast and stunning. William and Camille spare no expense, as you can—" My words were interrupted by a voice inside the castle heralding guests.

"Presenting the Feehan Clan…Simon, Daniella, and Damian," announced a man's booming voice.

Bella craned her neck, trying to see past the sentries, guests, and gate to find out who had made the announcement and where the accompanying trumpet music was coming from. "Will they do that for everyone?" she asked quietly, sounding concerned.

"Yes, Love. In medieval times when guests would arrive, it was customary to announce their names to those already there. It's sort of an informal introduction. Plus, it let you know who outranked who. While there is no true royalty here, we do treat some of our kind that way out of respect," I explained. "_You_, for example, are my Queen." I was only partially teasing as I smiled and kissed her temple.

She rolled her eyes and held my arm tighter. "Laying it on thick, are we?" she smirked, leaning into me.

"That is so _badass_!" Emmett exclaimed suddenly, completely entranced by the fire breathers. He was already planning out how he would try that for himself when we were home again. He had just opened his mouth to share his thoughts out loud when Esme turned slightly and gave him a look that was both motherly and commanding—he closed his mouth with an audible click and stood up a little straighter. It was a struggle for each of us to keep from laughing at him.

The group directly in front of us was waived inside and it was now our turn. Carlisle stepped forward and showed our invitation to the large vampires serving as the sentries. They glanced quickly at the invitation and then surveyed each of our faces closely. They hadn't done that with the other guests, so I listened closely for their thoughts.

'_Cullens. It's true about the eyes. How odd._'

'_William will be pleased they came._'

The first guard, the one who'd been thinking about our eyes, nodded at Carlisle and waved us forward.

We crossed the small bridge and walked through the large wooden doors where a thin vampire dressed in a very nice tuxedo smiled at us. "Name?" he asked softly.

"Cullen," Carlisle replied.

The man turned toward the open doors and took in a deep breath. The booming voice that came out of him did not match his size at all, and I could _hear_ that my family agreed with me on that. "Ladies and Gentlemen, arriving now is the Cullen Clan: Carlisle, Esme, Edward, Isabella, Rosalie, Emmett, Alice, and Jasper."

The trumpeters on each side of the announcer filled the room with fanfare as we walked past them and entered the main lobby of the castle. To our surprise, we were greeted with warm smiles and nods of acknowledgement. We had expected to barely be given a glance, and we were taken aback by the attention; even more so when Roland himself approached us.

"Good evening, Cullen family," he welcomed. "We are so glad you have joined us. It has been too long since we have seen one another."

I checked his thoughts thoroughly to assure he was safe, and all I could make out was that he was honest about his statement. He was truly happy to have us here.

"Good Evening to you, Roland. It has been too long indeed," Carlisle replied, taking his hand and smiling.

"I hope you will all have a marvelous time tonight. I know William and Camille are most excited to meet the newest addition to your family," Roland added. To my surprise, Bella gave him a curtsy and a smile. He nodded to her in response and reached his hand out to me. "Edward, it is always a pleasure to see you."

I shook his hand and smiled heartedly. "I'm sure you remember Rosalie and Emmett," I said motioning to them. "But I don't believe you've had the pleasure to meet Alice and Jasper," I continued as Alice stepped beside me, pulling Jasper along.

"It's a pleasure," Roland said, nodding to them. "Carlisle, I will forever be impressed with your family; they are truly a delight!" Roland replied smiling. "I must excuse myself now; I am in need of some refreshment," he added, pointing a finger upstairs and smiling wickedly. "We shall talk again later, perhaps."

"Refreshment?" Bella asked, looking after his retreating form.

"There are rooms upstairs where willing humans are provided for…drink. No one is harmed and their memories are usually blurred a bit. But it is another luxury provided by our hosts," I explained to her as we made our way inside the Great Room.

There were easily a hundred people just in this one room. Candelabras rested on every available surface, bouncing the soft candlelight off of the heavy drapes that framed each window. The room was filled with exuberant energy and easy laughter, having almost a playful tone to it. This many vampires in a single room, all of them getting along and being more than civil to each other…It had an alien feeling to it. It was almost…_human_. I tried to recall if our first ball had been this pleasant, but since I'd had no reason to pay attention to that affair, my memory of it was fractured. The only clear memory I had was of me pulling Emmett out of the room as I apologized profusely to those who had been around us.

The dance floor in this particular room hosted a beautiful waltz. I smiled at Bella's excited thoughts—she was impressed with how in unison everyone moved. The costumes were beautiful and our eyes were met with every color imaginable as we roamed the room.

The glances and stares were not uncomfortable, but they were numerous. Most of the thoughts in here were centered on Bella. They wondered who she was, why she was with us, what did she look like behind her mask. I'd known she would attract attention, but this was a bit more than I'd anticipated and I was glad the others were keeping close. Although I could detect no danger anywhere, it was habit for me to be on edge and protective of Bella.

Without speaking, we seemed to all agree that we would not split up just yet. We made our way to the back of the house, through the parlor, and out into the immense gardens. One look was all it took for the girls to overwhelm Jasper with their excitement and glee.

'_If I start jumping around like them, kill me,_' he thought to me.

I smiled just enough to acknowledge him.

Small candle-lit tables decorated the garden entrance, allowing for couples to steal an intimate moment amid the hustle of the ball. Even though the tables were spread out for privacy, they made a path toward a large tent that seemed to dwarf everything around it. It was draped in deep burgundy and had a high pitched top. It should have looked misplaced, but with the bright gold filigree framing the entrance way, it was undeniably made for nobility and perfectly suited for this occasion.

Once inside, we were dazzled by the beauty of the many candles suspended from the ceiling and the heady scent of roses that permeated the air around us, flowing in from the nearby gardens. This was a beautiful display of a time gone by. Of course, there were a few modern twists, but it was stunning just the same. It was also apparent that the main dance floor was here and not inside.

My desire to stay close to the family was forgotten in my excitement as my eyes landed on someone that I needed to greet and my feet carried me across the tent, tugging Bella along with me.

"Elizabeth," I called, immediately catching her attention.

"Well, aren't you a sight for sore eyes?" Elizabeth cried, embracing me lovingly.

I wrapped one arm around her to return her hug, not letting go of Bella. Her thoughts showed her surprise at the older woman's response to me and fear at my own reaction. She wasn't used to seeing me be affectionate with anyone outside of the family.

"Edward Cullen, where in the world have you been, young man?" Elizabeth exclaimed, gripping my shoulder as the rest of our family approached.

"We were in the states for some time, but are living back in the Manor now. And may I say that you are looking very well, _Madam_," I stated, giving her a wide smile and a slight bow.

"You always did have a way with words," Elizabeth chuckled, winking at me. "And thank you. Compliments always mean so much more when coming from such a gentleman, even more so when they are as good looking as you!" she replied coyly. She looked up and noticed the rest of my family. "My, my, Carlisle. You've been a busy man. Not one, not two, but three new family members. Well, don't just stand there! Someone introduce me."

Carlisle chuckled as he kissed Elizabeth's cheek. "Of course you remember my wife, Esme, our daughter, Rosalie, and our son, Emmett."

"How could anyone forget such a big handsome man?" she teased, pinching Emmett's cheek. "But it's this little raven haired beauty and the blonde beau I'm interested in," she added.

"This is our daughter, Alice, and our son, Jasper," Carlisle introduced. "And before you ask, they are happily married."

"Story of my existence," Elizabeth sighed, shaking her head to hide her smirk.

"And I would like to introduce you to—" I started.

"Isabella," Elizabeth finished for me. "Yes, I've already heard of this beautiful creature. Many of us have been anticipating meeting you, dear girl," she said, smiling warmly at Bella.

"Bella, this is Elizabeth. She is a very dear friend," I explained.

Bella embraced the older woman lovingly, just as the rest of us had. "The pleasure is mine, Elizabeth. Thank you for the warm welcome."

"Our dear Edward has been in dire need of companionship for some time now. I am thrilled that he has found you finally. Has he told you that he came to live with me and my son for spell, when he left Carlisle all that time ago?" she asked patting my face. "Oh, what a mess he was; so lost in the world. Very different from the dapper young man before us," she teased cupping my chin. "If only I was a few hundred years younger, you would have some stiff competition, young lady," she called out, already moving towards another group of guests. "Enjoy your evening!" she added with a little wave.

"She was nice," Bella giggled, looking up at me. Her thoughts were calm, and she was pleased to be meeting so many vampires who were not trying to harm us.

"Yes, she has that way about her," I mused, watching Elizabeth hug another guest. "She was turned about four hundred years ago. Even though she was older when she was turned, she remains as youthful inwardly as ever. She is also the proverbial mother hen. Carlisle introduced us the first time we came to live in Europe, back when it was just Esme, he and I. When I left Carlisle, I came back to this country for a while and since Elizabeth was the only person I knew here, naturally I came to see her. Roderick, her son as she calls him, is also a good friend to us. I am sure he is here some where as well."

"I'm glad you had someone so nice to go to when you were so lost," Bella said softly, squeezing my hand. "But I'm happier that you went home to Carlisle, and eventually came to me."

The music changed and I smiled at Bella. "Shall we?" I asked, nodding toward the dance floor.

She grimaced and exhaled. "I suppose we should get this over with."

"Is it so painful to dance with me?" I asked, teasing her as I led her onto the dance floor.

"No, of course not. But the thought of me making a fool of myself is."

I ignored her response and swept her into our first position. She giggled a little at the maneuver but as soon as we began to move, her smile faded and was replaced with a look of determination. Her eyes never left mine as we swirled to the music.

I tried to keep my focus solely on Bella, but there were too many thoughts focused on us for me to accomplish that.

'_They are amazing_!' one lady thought.

'_Such grace_!' thought another.

'_Simply stunning_,' a male thought, staring intently at Bella. It had always been an odd sensation to see myself in the thoughts of others, but that was nothing compared to seeing Bella in them. While they found her beautiful and graceful, they couldn't see what I saw in her and that made their views pale in comparison to her true beauty.

I opened my thoughts up to Bella. "_You are doing very well, my love_."

"Less talk, more dance. If I think about what I'm doing, I'll step all over you," she replied out loud with a giggle.

I glanced around us, checking over our family who were all dancing close by. Jasper and Alice were the closest to us, never far off just in case I needed them. It was something we did without question whenever we went out together. Emmett was actually holding his own, and Rosalie was beaming with pride as he twirled her around the dance floor. Carlisle and Esme were dancing with their usual grace and eloquence, both of them smiling and truly enjoying this night.

Once Bella relaxed, she was actually an amazing dancer. We continued on for a few more songs, and with each passing second, I found myself falling deeper into Bella's golden eyes. I slid my mask up and brought my hands to her face as we stared at one another. She lifted her own mask and leaned up to kiss me.

With her lips on mine, I couldn't bring myself to care that people were staring—not because they were unaccustomed to such a thing, but because we had stopped dancing all together. I savored her lips and wrapped an arm around her small waist, enjoying this kiss with her for as long as possible. The moment seemed perfect.

No sooner than the question popped into my head, it was pushed aside by Alice's excited thoughts. '_I'd prefer to be there, but this should be nice too. And no, I can't see her answer._'

'_Edward, are you okay?_' Jasper questioned with his thoughts. '_You've been anxious all night, but now you're down right terrified. Are we in danger?_'

I lifted my hand from Bella's face and moved it slightly, trying to convey to him that I was fine. I didn't want to give anything away to Bella, and she'd always been much too observant.

I could just make out the sound of Alice whispering, but not the words. I didn't have to wonder long about what she was up to, since Jasper's thoughts explained it nicely. '_Big, bad, brooding Edward Cullen is afraid of a little question,'_ his thoughts teased. '_Do you want some confidence?_'

I moved that same hand again, brushing him off. Bella grabbed my hand and pulled out of our kiss. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"My cufflink was caught on my jacket and I was trying to shake it loose," I responded.

'_Nice save,_' Jasper and Alice thought together, their thoughts highly amused.

I ignored them the best I could. "Why don't we look for a quiet place to talk?" I suggested.

Bella nodded with a wide smile and I led her to the back, imagining a stroll through the gardens would be a perfect setting for what I had in mind.

I hadn't taken but a few steps before I was approached by a large burly vampire named Phillip. "Edward, good evening. The master, William, would like for you and your family to join him in his tent," he stated eloquently.

At once, I felt the rest of the family behind us and I answered for us all. "Yes, of course, Phillip. It would be our pleasure to greet our hosts."

Phillip turned without another word and led us to a magnificent black tent at the edge of the property. It was closed off so that one could not see inside. As I took a closer look, I had to steady myself—emblazed on the black fabric was the body of a roaring golden lion. Was this just a coincidence, or did it have something to do with the visions I'd been sharing with Alice? Apparently, she was too busy being excited over the impending meeting to care about signs and portents.

As we approached, the two front flaps raised and Phillip waved us in. The tent held about twenty people who were mostly lounging about. Upon our entrance, the guests stood to greet us, forming a narrow aisle for us to walk through, leading straight to the back of the tent and a large oak table.

"Oh, William! They're here!" exclaimed a sultry voice with a slight French accent. In seconds, Camille stood before us.

She was just about Bella's height, with waves of black hair that came down to her waist. Her eyes were a penetrating green, and the contacts that turned them such a stunning shade were barely noticeable. Her gown was black with golden silk trim down the sides, and a golden broach with William's lion emblem framed in small pearls sat just above her right breast. She looked every bit a French Queen. "Welcome, Cullen family," she greeted courteously, never taking her eyes off of Bella.

"It's wonderful to see you, Camille," Carlisle replied, as we all smiled.

"You are looking very well," Esme added. "Thank you for having us."

"It is our pleasure to have all of you here tonight," Camille stated. "Please come join us," she urged. She turned and headed toward the oak table, her gown swooshing ahead of us and making the only noise in the tent.

We were nearly to the table when a booming voice came from our right side. "Welcome!" William exclaimed, clapping a firm hand on Carlisle's shoulder. "Welcome to our home!" he continued. "Carlisle, I am so glad you all decided to join us."

"We wouldn't have missed it," Carlisle assured him. "Thank you for having us."

William nodded and turned his attention toward Bella and me. "Edward Cullen, it has been entirely too long and my, what have you here?" he asked smiling at Bella.

Her shyness took hold and she tucked herself further against me as I introduced the two of them. "Hello, William. This is Isabella. Bella, this is William."

Bella smiled shyly and nodded, her thoughts still focused on how very red William's eyes appeared in the low light of the candles. "It's so nice to meet you, William," she said, her voice wavering only slightly.

'_He is safe, Bella,_' I assured her with my thoughts. '_He will not harm us and his eyes are only indicative of his eating habits, not his temperament. He is nothing like the Volturi._' I stopped short of mentioning James, not wanting to dredge up painful memories for her on such a special night.

"You, dear girl, are an absolute vision and the pleasure is all mine," William stated with a wide grin. He motioned us over to the great oak table and we each took a seat as the music began again. The other guests started to dance and the tent came to life, taking most of the attention away from us.

Servants in black checkered bodysuits and black masks that completely covered their faces appeared out of nowhere, delivering jewel encrusted goblets to us. The deep burgundy color of the liquid contrasted with the gold of the cup and the smell of warm blood permeated the air around us.

Bella stopped breathing and stiffened in her seat next to me.

I tried to soothe her with my thoughts. '_You don't have to drink it._'

'_Won't they find it rude?_' she questioned silently.

'_No. He is aware of our choices and will think nothing of it._'

I smiled in amusement as Bella discreetly pushed her goblet away while answering a question from Camille. Bella was still so young, yet she had so much control over her vampire urges. I doubted I could have done so well at her age.

Conversation flowed easily between our family and the guests at the table and there were no malign thoughts to be heard in this room. Eventually, everyone began to mingle, leaving Bella and I to sit at the table together. She was still a bit nervous around so many scarlet eyed vampires and I wanted to make sure she stayed relaxed and happy—nothing should upset her tonight. During all of this time, William hardly ever took his eyes away from Bella and me. His thoughts were only focused on how happy we appeared, but it was still somewhat unsettling to have his attention this way.

At the exact same moment that William's thoughts asked for private council with me, Camille stood and approached us. "Edward, you must allow me some time with dear Isabella," she said sweetly. "And the rest of your family as well," she added as Esme slipped into the seat on Bella's opposite side. "It is so rare to see so many women living together and I must admit, I am greatly intrigued by it."

Rosalie and Alice also appeared, standing right behind Esme and Bella. '_You're going to talk to William_,' Alice stated firmly in her thoughts. '_We will keep an eye on Bella for you._'

I smiled courteously at Camille and then turned to Bella, bringing her hand up to my lips and kissing the back of it. "I will leave you lovely ladies to chat while I take a moment to catch up with William."

Bella smiled sweetly at me. '_I'm okay with you going, but only for a little while. I'm actually enjoying all of the attention from you for a change._'

With a kiss to her cheek, I stood and made my way over to William, sitting in the chair next to him.

"You wanted to speak with me?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yes, I just wanted to assure that you know we support you, Edward." He said leaning back in his large seat leisurely. "We are aware of what occurred back in the States, as well as in Italy. To be perfectly honest, what happened to you is unacceptable. To think that rogue vampires such as James go unchecked while you, a respectable member of our society, are tortured for Jane and Aro's amusement. If there's anything you need you have only to ask, son."

I was taken aback by his words; I wasn't aware that anyone else would know about what had happened aside from the Volturi. "Thank you, William," I replied sincerely.

"You and your family are one of the best examples we have. Although I do not understand your choice of diet, you live harmoniously among the humans and that is admirable." William paused and leaned in closer, glancing around at his guests quickly before speaking again. "I know you have been _recovering,_ as is it were, for some months now in your home in the country. And while I hate to interrupt whatever peace you have found here, I do feel the need to keep you informed, which is why I wanted to talk to you. There are rumors from Italy. Aro seems to be losing control and his followers are turning against him. His numbers are dwindling, and although he would never admit it, he is fearful. So much so that he declined my invitation for tonight. I can almost taste his apprehension from all this way," he finished, sipping his drink as if he'd been talking of the weather and not the potential downfall of the Volturi.

As quiet as William's voice had been, Carlisle, Emmett, and Jasper had still heard. Their thoughts were tense and worried and all three were watching us closely.

"How do you think this will affect us?" I asked, keeping my focus on William's facial expression and thoughts. I needed to be a hundred percent sure of his honesty and intentions.

He sighed and sat back in his chair, resting his elbows on the arms of the chair and touching his fingertips together. "To be perfectly honest, I am not sure. Here in England, we live harmoniously and I have no intention of allowing any member of the Volturi to disrupt that peace. You are under _my_ protection here. Still, I think it best to be prepared for anything, and I will make sure that if there is anything to report, you are notified immediately."

"I am grateful to you for that," I replied. "The last year has been hell for my family and we just want to get on with our lives."

Camille's voice grabbed my attention immediately. "You poor girl! No one should have to endure all of that! Should you ever need anything, anything at all, I am but a heartbeat away," she assured Bella, sounding extremely sincere in voice and thought. Esme and Bella had felt so comfortable with Camille that they'd explained everything that had happened back in Forks.

I returned my focus to William again, comforted that Bella was at ease. "Let me ask you this, William…If Aro was to lose control, what then?"

William smiled knowingly, his vibrant red eyes shining in the candlelight. "All will reveal itself in due time, my dear boy. We simply have to let fate take its course. What I will tell you is that you are in for an interesting ride. Now enough of this subject! I think you have a matter of the heart to see to," he said, leaning forward and patting the box in my pocket. I realized then that William had the sight—I couldn't tell if it was anything like Alice's, but he definitely knew more than he let on. With that realization, his words were heavier on my mind. What did he mean I was in for an "interesting ride"?

Before I could ponder his words further, he stood and motioned to the crowd. "Beloved guests, it is time we went to the main tent for our grand entrance. The night is young and love is in the air!" he exclaimed, strolling to Camille and taking her hand. "Cullens, please follow me. You are my guests of honor tonight, and there is much to celebrate!" he said, winking at me. His thoughts let me know he was determined to assist in making my proposal special for Bella.

William turned and led Camille toward the tent's entrance, holding her hand high as a King would for his Queen. My family walked directly behind them, with Carlisle and Esme at the front, and Emmett and Rosalie at the rear. Emmett was still a bit upset about the things he'd heard and wanted to "have our backs" as his thoughts put it.

We entered the giant burgundy tent we'd been in earlier with the rest of William's entourage. Thunderous applause erupted for our hosts—they were obviously loved here. William and Camille strode to the middle of the floor and with the slightest movement of his hand, the crowd stilled.

"Welcome friends," William greeted. "Camille and I are pleased to see so many of you in attendance tonight. We trust that you all are enjoying yourselves, and will continue to do so as the night is young. Feel free to enjoy the dancing here, or in the Great Room of the castle, and, of course, refreshments are being provided on the upper floors of the castle. We only ask that you practice restraint and civility while here. Camille, have you anything to add?"

"Thank you all for coming and for following the dress code so beautifully. The gowns are exquisite and the masks are truly works of art. You have all helped to make this event a great success and William and I are extremely appreciative. Please enjoy the rest of your night." As soon as Camille finished speaking, William whisked her away to a large table set up on a small raised platform, allowing them to watch over the entire tent.

Bella and I went towards the center of the crowd and began to dance again—to my great surprise, she initiated it this time.

We were surrounded by our family, laughing and dancing for what seemed like hours. The music was upbeat and the atmosphere of the crowd added to the feelings of excitement and enjoyment. Jasper would certainly need to hunt when we returned home after dealing with all of these over-the-top emotions.

There was a short pause between songs and when the music resumed, it was a slow dance. I caught a glimpse of a pale hand waving and looked up to find William and Camille staring at me and smiling. William nodded to me in approval with a large grin. From their thoughts, I could see that he and his wife were romantics and were eager for me to get on with it. I wrapped an arm around Bella again and slid her to me, careful not to press her against my jacket.

We swayed in time to the music and were just smiling at one another. "Are you having a good time?" I asked, placing my forehead to hers.

"This has been an amazing night," she replied, as I moved back and spun her around.

When she turned around to face me again, I slid down to one knee; as if we had rehearsed it, our family stepped away a bit to form a loose semi circle around us.

"Edward, are you okay?" Bella asked confused, staring down at me and then glancing up at them, wondering what was going on.

I reached into my pocket, my fingers shaking slightly as I pulled out the ornate box that had been hiding there all night. I looked up at Bella, trying to control myself. I could see in the thoughts of those around us that my face was filled with emotion. As if I wasn't already nervous enough, the entire room fell silent and the music dwindled to a stop.

"Bella, we have been through more than two people should ever have to endure," I started, as realization dawned on her face and in her frantic thoughts. "I can't even remember having a life anymore before you and there are plenty of people here tonight who can attest to the change you have brought out in me," I continued slowly, stopping to quickly wet my overly dry lips. How this woman could make me feel so human was beyond me. I stole a quick glance around the room, briefly catching Elizabeth's excited face, before returning my attention back to the love of my life. "I also realized in the past few days that I cannot put this off for one more day. Eternity just isn't long enough. That is why, here tonight, surrounded by our family and friends, I would like to ask you to be my wife," I finished, opening the ring box and showing her what rested inside.

The women around me gasped when they saw the ring. Their thoughts crashed into me, all of them so loud and excited and I struggled to push them away, searching for the only "voice" I wanted to hear right now.

Bella looked as if she wanted to cry. She placed a hand to her mouth, letting out a big sigh as she looked over to our family. Alice was jittering in Jasper's arms and he had a huge grin on his face. Rosalie and Emmett were both grinning wide and looking overly impatient. Carlisle and Esme were holding each other and smiling sweetly at us.

"Oh, Edward, it's beautiful," Bella whispered, staring down at the ring.

"You haven't answered my question," I said, growing even more anxious.

I couldn't make out her thoughts and she wasn't saying very much out loud. I'd been nervous before, but now that the words were out, I was jumping out of my skin and still she wasn't speaking.

Her face became serious as she stared down at me. "No, Edward," she said, her mahogany hair swaying around her head as it shook the tiniest bit.

I opened my mouth in disbelief and my eyes dropped, almost unable to hide the hurt.

Her pale hand gripped my chin and tilted my face up to hers. "No, eternity isn't long enough, and yes, yes I will marry you," she said, biting her lip and fighting back her excitement.

I shot up and stared at her with the largest smile I had ever worn on my face, feeling the desire to cry with joy. Without warning, I picked her up and spun her around as the crowd erupted in applause.

"Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" I yelled, laughing at the way this woman could bring me up and tear me down with the smallest of words.

"Yes," she chuckled. "And can I have my ring now?" she teased.

I set her down and kissed her in earnest as the crowd cheered. Her hands gripped my face as tightly as mine did to her; her thoughts were too excited and scrambled for me to understand them all, but the general idea was clear—she was elated.

Bella pulled back and wiggled her hand at me. I laughed and slipped the ring onto her finger—to my relief it was a perfect fit. We were surrounded immediately by our family, who all hugged us and wished us well. They were quickly joined by Elizabeth and many of the other guests, all of the women anxious to get a closer look at Bella's ring.

Alice broke through the crowd and wrapped her little arms around me, holding tightly as she smiled up at me. "You did good, Eddie. Bella will never forget this moment," she whispered.

I kissed the top of her head and held her to me. As I looked up to check on Bella, I noticed William making his way through the crowd. The guests had already started to dance again, so he actually had to be careful moving around them.

"I'll leave you two to talk," Alice chirped, slipping out from under my arm and dancing her way over to Bella.

"Congratulations to you, Edward," William stated, his hand extending to shake mine.

"Thank you, William. It has been long overdue," I replied smiling as I watched Bella interact with our family and Camille.

"You are meant for great things, Edward, and Bella is your guiding light," he added, watching them with me. "I look forward to our future together," he suddenly added.

Confused by his words, I turned to ask him what he meant, but he was already gone. He'd somehow managed to slip away from me and was now at Camille's side, congratulating Bella.

I stood there for a moment, dumbfounded by everything that had happened in one night. My head was suddenly swimming, and I found myself needing to sit down. The room was spinning and I felt my mind reeling. Before I could even think to ask for it, Jasper was at my side, ushering me outside of the tent. He found an empty table and sat me down.

"Alright, Edward. The question has been asked and answered. You can calm down now," he joked.

Before I could answer, I was overtaken with the vision of me walking down a long hall with a shiny marble floor. There was a balcony at the end of the hallway and Bella was waiting there. I took her hand and looked out below and my sight was momentarily blinded by the bright sun. All I could hear was the flapping of banners in the wind.

I could hear Jasper calling out to me. "Edward…Edward, are you alright?"

I could feel Bella getting closer to me now. The moment her scent hit, my mind shut off, wiping away the vision I'd been locked in. I blinked rapidly, coming back to the present and looked over at Jasper. "Yes, I'm fine. I'm sorry, I just spaced out," I sighed softly, running my hands through my hair as the rest of the family approached.

"What are you guys doing out here?" Alice asked.

"Just getting some air," Jasper replied, covering for what really had occurred.

I stood and turned to greet Bella. "Hello, my love," I said, hoping I looked more composed than I felt.

"Are you okay?" she asked, seeing right through me.

"Yes, Sweety," I assured her, kissing her hands. "Just overwhelmed by this very exciting night. You did scare the life out of me," I reminded her with a smile. "What about you? Are you okay?"

"I am perfect," she said softly, leaning into me.

"Is everyone ready to go home?" Carlisle asked.

"Yes!" we all said in unison.

"I think that's the first unanimous agreement from all of you in quite some time," he chuckled. "Let's go home, family."

We filed back into the house and made our way to the front door. It was well past midnight now and most of the guests were making their way out. William and Camille were near the foyer, saying their goodbyes.

"William, thank you for such a magical evening. It has been wonderful!" Esme stated.

"It has been my pleasure. I am sure we will all be seeing more of one another now," he replied, kissing her hand. "Congratulations again to you and Bella," he said, shaking my hand.

"Thank you for your help," I whispered. He gave me a conspiratorial wink and moved on to saying his goodbye to Alice and Jasper.

"Camille, thank you again. It was a wonderful party," I told her.

"Just wait for the next one," she said, her accent thick as she smiled at me.

We all made our way down the long walk, and our driver was waiting right where he had dropped us off. We piled into the car and the girls continued to carry on about the evening and the engagement. Bella's preoccupation allowed me to get lost in my own thoughts, thinking about this night and what still lay ahead of us. I had hoped with everything in me that she would say "yes" tonight and I had a few surprises lined up for her.

"I haven't needed to hunt so badly since the very first time you guys made me go to school," Jasper said, breaking me from my thoughts. "Between Edward being all wound up, and the girls shrieking over every dress and decoration, not to mention the excitement from all of those guests."

"Want a little cheese with your whine?" Emmett chuckled, playfully punching Jasper's shoulder.

"Emmett, before you do something stupid, I want you to know how proud of I am of you for tonight," Rosalie said, wrapping her arms around his neck. "You were on your best behavior and you danced pretty damn well too."

"It was all for you, Rosie," he said, beaming with pride. "So can I get a reward now that we're home?" he asked as the car pulled to a stop in our driveway.

"I'll consider it," Rose chuckled, as they climbed out of the car together.

"After we hunt, you two," Alice ordered, following them out of the car.

Bella and I were the last to get out and we all waved as the driver pulled away and drove off of the grounds.

"Time to hunt," Jasper said, rubbing his hands together. "You guys want to race?"

"Hell, yes," Emmett agreed excitedly.

"Actually, Bella and I are going to hunt alone tonight," I said, ignoring Emmett's wounded look.

"We are?" Bella asked confused, looking up at me.

"Yes," I chuckled. "I have another surprise for you."

"Honestly, Edward," she sighed, shaking her head. "I don't even know why I'm surprised anymore. You really can't help yourself, can you?"

"Nope," I laughed, leaning down and kissing her lips lightly.

"We won't see them before the morning," Jasper chuckled. "I _feel_ it's going to be a long night for them," he called as they all raced off into the woods.

"Is that so?" Bella asked, her arms wrapped tightly around my neck and a beautiful smile on her face.

"I suppose that depends on whether or not you like your surprise," I told her.

"Any chance you'll let me change out of this gown before we go traipsing through the forest?"

"Not a one," I chuckled, wrapping an arm around her waist and leading her off toward the trees.

In keeping with the theme of the night, I'd rented a tent in that same medieval theme, but this one was the purest white, with only a little gold trim around the edges. I'd left instructions for there to be a small fire pit set in the middle and burning brightly for our arrival—we didn't need the warmth, but Bella loved the feel of it and the glow of the firelight.

I'd also instructed them to litter the floor with the most exquisite pillows they could find and to leave all of the sides down so that she wouldn't be able to see inside right away. I wanted her to be surprised by it all, and then to relax and enjoy the comfort provided to her. I wanted her to feel pampered and indulged.

The trees parted to reveal the little meadow I'd taken her to our very first day here, and nearly every day after. Bella noticed the round tent immediately and gasped. "Edward, how in the world did you manage this without me knowing?"

"I had to get a little outside help," I admitted. I lifted up one of the fabric panels and ushered her inside.

She immediately gasped again and her eyes filled with unshed tears. "This is too much."

"No," I disagreed, wrapping my arms around her delicate waist. "Nothing could ever be too good for you."

She smiled and leaned up, pressing her lips to mine and giving me a soft, sensual kiss. '_I love you. I'll love you forever._'

"I feel that way too, my love," I said, setting her down on the pillows. I moved down and removed her shoes for her.

"Thank you," she sighed, her eyes fluttering closed as she wiggled her feet. "Alice's idea of fashion always involves my feet being tortured."

I chuckled as I stretched out beside her on the pillows. "So being a vampire hasn't changed that part for you."

Bella turned her head and opened her eyes, dazzling me immediately with the intensity of her golden stare. "You proposed to me."

"Yes," I replied breathlessly, wondering where she was going with this. She was once again keeping her thoughts private.

"I'm going to be your wife," she whispered, putting her hand against my cheek.

"That's the general idea," I said with a grin, leaning into her hand and closing my eyes.

"Edward."

My eyes immediately snapped open, wondering why she'd sounded so heartbroken when she'd said my name. Her eyes were once again full of tears she would never cry, but it was the sadness behind them that made my dead heart ache for her. I pulled her close and held her tightly. "What's wrong, Bella?"

"Charlie won't walk me down the aisle," she whispered, her voice and heart breaking with each word. Her wall fell and I was bombarded with images that would never be reality—Charlie pulling back Bella's veil, Renee fussing over her train, Phil standing to the side and smiling as he watched them.

"I'm sorry, Bella. I truly am."

"Don't be," she said, sitting up and brushing away those thoughts and images as if they'd never been there.

I sat up next to her, taking hold of her hand. "Bella, most of us come into this life through an act of violence or because we are so very close to death. You were allowed to choose it, and that is a rare and precious thing among our kind. The one thing that remains the same is the loss of family, of the life you led before this one. This is one of the many reasons I was so reluctant to change you."

"I know I shouldn't be upset over this. I know leaving was the safest and best way to take care of Charlie, Renee, and even Phil. I just…I never thought I would even want to get married, and suddenly I find myself not only wanting to be married, to be your wife, but to have it be a huge celebration. Because that's what we're doing, Edward. We already belong to the other, so our wedding will just be a celebration of our love and our eternity together. It would just be nice to get to share that with them—to have them see how happy I am with you."

"If there was any—"

She put her fingers over my mouth and shook her head the slightest bit. "Don't say it, please. It was only a moment of selfishness and it's already passed. I was never able to be as close to my parents as I am to _our_ family. I know they will all work together to make sure our wedding is the most wonderful time of our life, and that's what I'm going to focus on."

I kissed her fingers as I took hold of her wrist, gently pulling her hand away. "Each time I think I have a handle on the way you think and process things, you do something new to show me I will need the whole of eternity to even somewhat understand."

"Still trying to figure me out, Edward?" she chuckled, smiling sweetly at me.

"Oh, yes," I said with a smirk, lying her down on the pillows again. "And I think if I remove this gown, it will greatly help with my endeavors."

"Who am I to stand in the way of progress?" she asked, tilting her head to allow my lips to tease her skin better.

I titled her face to mine, looking right into her beautiful golden eyes. "You are my life, my love, and my future wife." I sealed my pledge with a tender kiss to her soft lips. And those were the last words that were spoken out loud from that moment until the sun started to rise.

The firelight made her pale skin shimmer as I slowly drew her gown down her body, revealing the beautiful deep blue corset and underwear that had been hiding underneath all night. I couldn't stop myself from having to lick my lips and swallow back my venom. She was so damn breathtaking, and she could be so exquisitely sexy without even trying. Right then, with her eyes closed and her mahogany hair spilling over all of those white pillows, she looked divine.

I took my time, slowly and reverently worshipping this amazing woman who loved me enough to allow me the pleasure of being her husband for an eternity. Humans fretted over committing to each other for seventy or eighty years—nothing but the blink of an eye to our kind. And here I was, trying to soak up her love and passion, knowing eternity was nowhere near long enough to satisfy my need for her.

Her sweet breath, her throaty moans, the arch of her back…things that were forever ingrained into my vampire mind, and yet I knew instinctively that I would never tire of them. I would always want and need more.

Lying there, with her impossibly beautiful body tangled in mine, the purple light of dawn seeping through the tent's fabric to touch her thigh and make it sparkle slightly…absolute perfection. This love, this _life_ with her, it was worth all of the hardship we'd been through and I would always go above and beyond to protect it. Whatever "ride" I might be headed for, Bella would be there with me, and together, we would make the most of this existence.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: All Characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, except for the obvious ones I have taken the liberty to create. I am glad that you are all enjoying the story thus far. I am only sorry that I am not posting as quickly as I would like. My schedule has been a little crazy lately! Anyway, enjoy this chap, it's the tip of the iceberg!**

**~VBR~**

* * *

Bella and I eventually left the comfort of the tent and returned to the house, disappearing into our bedroom without seeing any of our family members. They'd all been at this stage in their relationships and didn't begrudge us for being so lost in each other.

The next two days were spent mostly in bed, lost in conversations about our future in between getting lost in each other physically. I was enthralled about our wedding and already filled with so many hopes for our marriage. The prospect of making our union official in front of all of our loved ones—well, almost all of them—was an amazing thing to me. Having Bella be called "Mrs. Edward Cullen" was an old fashioned notion that gave me enormous pleasure.

I was smiling as I daydreamed of the days and years ahead. Our room was filled with the bright oranges and reds of the sunshine outside, adding to the beauty of the moment. Bella was on her stomach next to me, a thin sheet barely covering her waist and leaving the rest of her exposed and utterly luscious. Her eyes were closed and she was softly humming to herself while my hand played lazily with the shiny strands of her hair. I marveled at her as I lay on my back, half sitting against the headboard, and in love with the sight of her naked with nothing but my ring on.

"What are you thinking?" I asked smiling down at her.

"I'm wondering how long we have left before we have to face the rest of the world again," she giggled as my fingers tickled the sensitive skin at the base of her skull.

"I guess we should eventually make an appearance downstairs. The others will think we have eloped," I replied, smirking.

"Ha! Like Alice wouldn't stop us dead in our tracks before we even reached our bedroom door. Even as vampires we wouldn't make it down the stairs and out of the house."

My hand made its way down her back as I turned on my side to face her. She felt like smooth silk under my palm and I relished the sensation. I continued on my journey, reaching the curve of her rear—my favorite. She moaned softly as I caressed her and my smirk grew wider.

"Edward, if we keep this up we'll never be seen again," she said breathily, not sounding at all like she really minded. Then again, neither would I.

"I would be happily lost right here forever," I promised, kissing her soft shoulder.

She turned into me and wrapped her arms around my torso, burying her face in my chest, and I held her to me, kissing the top of her head. "Alright, my love. I guess we really should get dressed and head downstairs."

"Okay, but I am taking a shower first," she announced happily, sliding up with the bed-sheet shielding her body. After everything we'd shared the past few days, I found it hard to believe she would be shy around me—which meant she was teasing. Two could certainly play at this game.

I smiled back at her as my hand stealthily wrapped around the corner of the sheet closest to me. As Bella rounded the corner of the bed and moved closer to the bathroom, I gave a hard tug. The sheet slid off of her easily since she wasn't expecting it.

"Edward!" she shouted, stomping her foot lightly while she tried not to smile. I leapt to her and wrapped my arms around her gloriously naked body, causing her to break out into giggles.

I had us in the shower stall and beneath the hot water before she could react. Pressing her lightly into the wall, I ravished her with kisses, loving the way her resolve melted away beneath my touch.

While we dressed, we discussed wedding songs, laughing like a couple of giddy teenagers as we suggested one ridiculous song after another.

"No, no," Bella gasped through her laughter. "We should have Emmett build us a platform to stand on that look's like the front of a ship and then we have Alice serenade us with Celine Dion's 'My Heart Will Go On'. We can do it so much better than Kate and Leo."

"Sure," I snorted as I tied my shoes. "And we'll follow it up with Savage Garden's 'Truly, Madly, Deeply'."

"Hey, that's not funny!" Bella scolded. "I happen to like that song." She suddenly frowned for real and my heart ached for her. "Renee loved it."

"Don't frown," I whispered, kissing her cheek tenderly. "You look so beautiful when you smile."

Bella snorted and playfully pushed me away. "You say that no matter how I look."

"Because you're always beautiful," I assured her. She wore nothing more than jeans and a fitted top, but she looked amazing.

"Well, you look pretty yummy yourself," she replied, pulling at the waistband of my jeans.

I quickly slid on my black tee and then reached around her, opening the door for her. "Let's go before I lose what little will power I have to leave this room," I said, wrapping my arm around her waist and bringing her with me.

We headed into the downstairs den and found Esme and Carlisle talking. She was sitting on the couch with one of her many gardening magazines while Carlisle was relaxing in the recliner near the fireplace.

"Hello," I greeted as we entered the room. I went over to Esme and kissed her cheek before taking a seat next to her on the couch.

"Hello, you two. Nice to see you both again," Carlisle said, smiling.

Bella flopped down onto the loveseat across from Esme and me, giggling at her own self.

"How are you both doing?" Esme asked, smiling at Bella.

"We are great, Mom," I replied.

"Better than great," Bella added, flipping onto her stomach and dangling her feet in the air behind her. "We are so excited about putting this wedding together with all of you. It's going to be amazing."

"Oh, Bella! Do you mean that?" Esme asked, suddenly more excited.

"Yes, of course," Bella assured her. "Why wouldn't I?"

"We just weren't sure how much help you wanted," Esme replied. "That is precisely why Alice has been under strict orders the last few days to leave you both alone."

"It never ceases to amaze me how you get Alice to truly listen to you, Esme," Bella giggled. She quickly put her hands over her mouth and I knew if she could, she would be blushing. "I don't know what's wrong with me. I can't seem to stop giggling."

"You're happy, Dear," Esme replied with a big smile of her own. "You're excited about your wedding, just as we all are. Carlisle and I couldn't be happier for you two."

"Thank you for saving us from Alice," I said, hugging Esme. "Bella and I definitely needed some alone time."

"We're glad you two were able to rest," Carlisle said with a smirk. "Oh, by the way…Those came for you," he added, nodding his head toward an enormous bouquet of flowers.

Bella stood and went to the table they were on, practically burying her little nose in the bouquet. She plucked the white card from the edge of the flowers and glanced at it. "It's from William and Camille!" she said excitedly, turning and showing me the card. "They wish us well on our engagement," she read as she walked over to me—a feat she never would have managed as a human.

"That is so sweet," Esme said as she looked over the card with Bella.

"Yes, that is very nice of them," I agreed, pleased with how easily Bella had taken to them. There was something about William and Camille that was welcoming and even comforting, and it was good for us to have friends outside of our family in our life again.

"Where are the others?" I asked, not sensing them near. "We've been downstairs for nearly fifteen minutes and Alice has yet to attack."

"They went into the city, I believe," Esme replied.

"We should meet them and have a family outing," Carlisle suggested.

"Sounds like fun!" Bella chirped, sounding a bit like Alice for a moment.

"I'll call Alice to see where they are," I offered, standing just as the phone rang.

"Hello, Prince Edward," Alice chirped into my ear.

I chuckled at her silly behavior and then retaliated. "So, Fairy Godmother, where are you guys?"

"We're at the British Museum. We'll meet up with you in twenty minutes," she said, already knowing we would agree to coming. "And drive humanly," she warned. "The roads are crowded today."

"Appreciate the warning, Alice," I replied before shutting the phone. "Anyone up for a day at the museum?" I asked smiling.

"That sounds like fun!" Bella said excitedly.

"Sure, let's go," Esme agreed.

We climbed into my jaguar, with Esme and Bella sitting in the back and chatting about wedding ideas. The mood was light, peaceful, and happy—I could certainly get used to this after all of those dark days we'd suffered.

We parked near the museum and made our way over to the entrance. The day was perfect and we were allowed to stroll along the street at a leisurely pace.

"Wow," Bella breathed, staring up at the museum.

"Did you know this museum started out as a house?" I asked her.

Bella's eyebrows arched upward as she stared at me with her doe-like golden eyes. "Really?"

I nodded my head in confirmation. "It was built around 1676 for the Duke of Montagu by an architect named Robert Hooke. Just ten years later, a fire destroyed a great portion of it. This one section here is the original house as it was restored by Puget. The rest are additions that have been built up over the years to accommodate all of the museum's treasures."

"I've always loved this museum best," Esme said as we entered the lobby. We spotted Alice and the others immediately, and after a few greetings and hugs, we started to tour the museum together.

We started out in the British buried treasure exhibit and Emmett immediately moved toward a case holding a tall shield.

"All you need is a spear and you'd be totally ready to go all Braveheart on somebody's ass," Emmett chuckled.

"It's ornamental," Jasper corrected. "The thin bronze would have been smashed by swords and penetrated by spears with ease. Battle shields were built much heaver than this one."

"Whatever," Emmett grumbled, upset that Jasper had known something he didn't once again. "Nerd."

"He's not a nerd," Bella chuckled. "He just reads plaques," she added, tapping her finger against the little placard that explained what was in the case.

Once we were done with that exhibit, we moved on to viewing Michelangelo's drawings. I'd seen this museum once before with Carlisle and Esme, but I was far from bored. The history contained in these buildings was mesmerizing and gave me a perspective that was hard to have in my daily life. My century on this planet was nothing compared to what these walls had housed and seen.

We slowly made our way through every exhibit, even seeing the Egyptian one twice. I was so pleased that Bella was enjoying this experience and hoped it would be something she would want to repeat with me. All too soon it seemed it was time to go.

On the drive home from the museum, I sensed that Bella was deep in thought. We'd had a great afternoon with our family and she had been all smiles, but as we sat in the car now, she seemed withdrawn. I didn't want to push, so I left her to her thoughts for now.

When we got to the house, we all seemed to part ways. Alice and Jasper wanted to go hunting, and Esme decided to join them while Carlisle headed into his office to tend to some work. This left Emmett, Rose, Bella, and I, and we decided to go for a swim.

The girls chatted while Emmett and I discussed where our next day trip could be. All the while, I could feel the sadness building in Bella. I found my way over to her and caressed her wet hair. "Are you alright?" I asked concerned.

She smiled sadly before resting her head on my shoulder. "Yeah, I'm just missing my parents."

Emmett wanted to say something, but wasn't sure if he should. He settled on wading over to us and waiting to see what would happen. He leaned against the wall, crossing his arms in front of him as Rose took up the spot next to him.

Of course, Bella noticed him right away. "Emmett, will you talk to me about how things were, after we…after…well, you know?" Bella asked softly.

Emmett looked down into the water and cocked his head to the side as if he was unsure he should give Bella the information she wanted. He glanced up at me, asking me with his thoughts if he should go ahead, and I nodded. As much as I would have loved to shield her, she needed to know.

"Well, Bells, if you really want to know," he replied cautiously. Rose leaned into Emmett's side and rubbed his shoulder to urge him on. Emmett sighed and then started talking again. "Charlie and Renee were of course a mess at first. We had to play the roles so well that we ended up mourning you guys with them."

Emmett started rubbing the back of his neck visibly uncomfortable with the subject.

"Please tell me," Bella said softly.

He locked his eyes with hers and nodded his head stiffly. "After a few weeks, your mom went back home. She couldn't deal with being in Forks anymore. She made sure to get Esme's number so that they could keep in touch. Carlisle and I focused on Charlie after that. He was on leave from work—the emptiness of the house slowly got to him, and he started drinking. The whole alcoholic phase was short-lived because Esme and Carlisle convinced him to go to a therapist right away. He was just as stubborn as you at first, complaining that we were all babying him and overreacting."

Emmett suddenly switched gears, latching on to a less important item in an effort to protect Bella's feelings. "The kids at school built a makeshift memorial at the cliff where the jeep went over. It was really nice and nobody screwed with it or anything. It still looked just as nice when we left."

Emmett took an unnecessary breath and then plunged ahead with the rest of his recount. "Anyway, Charlie was in pretty bad shape for a while. Rose and I came by with food every night, and Carlisle and Esme took turns during the day. We knew that if we left him alone he would probably do something stupid. I stayed in your room at night, listening for him so I could make sure he wouldn't hurt himself. And then one day at the counselor's office, he met Mary. She's very pretty and really sweet, Bells. You would have liked her. She's about Charlie's age and had lost her own daughter a few years ago, so they seemed to bond right away. It didn't take long for Charlie to ask her out on a date, and she seemed just as eager to get to know him. Time passed and we felt that we were needed less and less in the moral support department because it really seemed that Charlie was trying to move on with his life. But don't think for a second that he's forgotten about you, Bells. His heart will always have a spot that aches for you." Emmett had said it all so eloquently, that I couldn't help but be proud of my brother.

I rubbed Bella's back as I waited for her reaction to Emmett's words. She nodded her head and took a deep breath before lifting her eyes to his once more. "Thank you. I don't know what we would have done without all of your help," she told him.

"No prob," he replied, smiling softly. He wrapped an arm around Rose and they both smiled at us.

Bella tilted her head up and smiled sadly at me. "This whole thing is just surreal. It's the happiest time in my life and I feel bad that I can't share it with my family in Forks. But I know that this is for the best and I need to move forward myself."

Rose put her hand on Bella's shoulder and smiled. "You're right, Bella. Moving forward is the only way to get past this. It took me a long time to truly understand that. Lucky for you, you have a wedding to plan to keep you occupied."

"Not just a wedding, the biggest, most bad-ass Cullen party ever thrown!" Emmett corrected.

I could sense someone at the door before the others did, and I was out of the pool in a flash with the others quickly following suit. As I approached the door, the thoughts of the person became clearer and I knew it was Roland.

I opened the door and greeted him. "Hello, Roland. What brings you here?" I motioned him inside just as Carlisle reached the foot of the stairs and Esme, Jasper, and Alice came threw the kitchen area.

"Welcome, Roland," Esme greeted as she took his arm and walked him into the den.

"Hello, everyone. I am glad to see that you are all well," Roland said, smiling. "I am sorry to have come unannounced, but I have come here at William's request to deliver this," he added, handing me a silver envelope.

"Thank you," I told him as I began to open it.

He didn't even wait for me to finish before saying his goodbye. "I really must be going, but it has been lovely to see you all."

"You are welcome to stay if you like," Carlisle offered.

"I appreciate that, Carlisle, but I have some pressing business in the city," Roland replied.

Esme and Carlisle walked him to the door while the rest of us anxiously waited in the den to see what was in the envelope.

"Well, it can't be another masquerade," Bella chirped. And then her happy expression turned to one of fear. "Can it?"

"Oohhh I hope so!" Alice said excitedly, clapping her small hands together.

"Look out! She's gonna blow!" Emma yelled dramatically, getting a laugh from everyone but Alice. From her, he got a scowl and a slap to the back of his head.

"So much fuss over an envelope," Esme chuckled as she reentered the den with Carlisle.

"Open it. Open it," Alice demanded.

I chuckled as I slipped my finger through the back of the envelope and broke the seal. I slipped the heavy cardstock from the envelope, making sure to keep it hidden from Alice and the others. I hardly ever got to leave her wondering and I was enjoying it probably more than I should have.

"Read it or I will tell Bella one of your most embarrassing family moments," Alice threatened.

"Tell her anyway," Emmett chuckled.

I didn't reply out loud; I just left Alice to view the future backlash that would come her way if she opened her mouth at all. Lifting the card up, I began to read it to the family.

"_Dearest Cullen Family,_

_Please join us for an intimate gathering at our home tomorrow afternoon in London. We look forward to visiting with you again with more time to talk. _

_We will send the car around to you at Four O'Clock P.M._

_See you then!_

_Warmest Regards,_

_William & Camille"_

"They are so classy sending notes instead of calling us," Rose said, snatching the card out of my hands.

"Yes, they really have old-world etiquette," Esme agreed.

"They really seem to be extra interested in us lately," Jasper added.

"Yes, but they mean no harm," Alice replied, looking up at me knowingly. She'd already seen our time with them tomorrow and everything seemed fine. Although I could sense that she meant there was something more in store as she looked at me wearily.

The next afternoon, at exactly four o'clock, there was a long black limousine in our driveway. Bella seemed excited to see William and Camille again and this eased my few concerns greatly. I wasn't sure what William would want so soon, and although I only had positive vibrations from him, I was too cynical for my own good.

We arrived on the grounds within the hour and were mesmerized by the beauty of the mansion. There were massive oak trees with hanging moss on them all across the front lawn, giving it a certain gloom. The building was covered in moss as well and seemed like it had been there for ages.

As we got out of the car, we were greeted by Camille herself. "Hello, dear friends!" she exclaimed in her undeniably French accent.

We followed her inside and met William as he reached the bottom of the massive winding staircase adjusting one of his cuff links. "Ah, so good to see you all again!" he said, robustly shaking each of our hands.

He seemed uncommonly comfortable with physical contact. Most vamps were more stand-offish than this. But these two were so warm and welcoming; one couldn't help but feel at ease around them.

The interior of this home was beautiful. It was light and airy and filled with lovely furnishings that gave it a beautiful mix of antique and modern. Bella held my hand and pointed at certain paintings as we walked through the large foyer and into the sitting room.

"You have a lovely home," Bella said softly to Camille.

"Oh, thank you. This house is our favorite," she replied. She clapped her hands together once and a servant appeared with a large silver tray and tea service. "Ladies, why don't we go out back and enjoy the garden?" Camille suggested. "The day is too lovely to be indoors."

The girls all smiled and agreed with Camille and said quick little goodbyes, leaving us in the room with William. I could sense that the girls were happy and that put me at ease. There was a lot of happiness in this home; it was everywhere. Still I couldn't help but feel like the other shoe was going to drop, so to speak.

"Please be seated, my home is your home, make yourselves comfortable," William began.

We spread out, each finding a seat and waiting for William to continue.

"Gentlemen, I have asked you all here today for a few reasons. For starters, my wife and I truly did enjoy your company at the ball. You are all delightful. There are few covens, or families if you prefer, that we feel truly comfortable with. Most simply want to stay close to us for some material reason. With your family, we feel there is a mutual respect, and we trust and value that. We were also thrilled to be present for your engagement, Edward. Having said that, there has been a new development I feel needs to be discussed."

"Development?" Carlisle questioned, leaning slightly forward in his chair.

"Yes," William confirmed with a nod. "As I am sure you are already aware, the Volturi are practically disbanding. Aro is desperate and what few followers he has left grow weary with each passing day. He has contacted me asking for assistance. Of course, there is nothing I can offer him."

William paused for just a moment and I had the impression it was deliberate, even if his thoughts didn't confirm my suspicion.

"But I feel that we must act," he continued. "There is a great need for leadership there, and Volterra will not survive without someone to lead the way. As they fall apart, there will of course be those that feel they must retaliate against Aro, and possibly even other covens. If we do nothing, then we risk anarchy in Italy and elsewhere. There is too much history and honor for our kind in that city for us to allow such a thing. Unfortunately, Aro and those who have been loyal to him have disgraced that very history with their maniacal practices."

As William spoke, I had the overwhelming feeling to stop him. I didn't want to hear anymore. His words could only mean that my family was once again in danger.

"William, I don't know that there is anything for us to do," Carlisle interjected. "If they finish Aro, then they have done us a favor as far as I see it."

"Be that as it may, Aro is not the most dangerous force in Volterra, Carlisle," William replied. "I am sending some of my scouts in tomorrow morning. I want to know what is being planned, against Aro and otherwise." William had been staring at me as he spoke and I almost felt that he meant for me to go.

Without thinking, I stood. "I need some air, excuse me," I said, abruptly leaving the room.

Bella's worried voice filled my head. "_Edward, are you alright? William has upset you."_

"_I am fine, Bella. William has done nothing. I just need to be outside for a while_," I responded, hoping she would stay with Camille and the others.

I opened the front door and stepped out into the front lawn, making my way down to the large fountain that adorned the huge driveway. I stared into the massive basin, thinking of how I loathed the feeling that there was plenty ahead I would have to face. I supposed I had become complacent in the peace Bella and I had found here.

I sensed him behind me before he spoke; my arms folded over my chest as I closed my eyes, bracing myself for this talk.

"Edward, it was not my meaning for you to go to Italy," William said in a low voice.

"William, while I appreciate your hospitality, I do not wish to play games. If you have something in mind, speak. There is no need to dance around what you intend to say," I replied shortly.

"I love your spirit, Edward. I am sorry if any of this has crossed you, but you have to know that it is not my intention to involve you unless completely necessary. I was saying before that there are many defecting from Aro's rule, and while there are those who would choose to set off on their own, there are also those who have another leader in mind," he said, standing beside me, facing the water as I was.

"Who William?" I asked, still not looking at him. I already knew who _he_ had in mind and I prayed he was alone in that thought.

"Edward, there are many wish to have _you_ lead them," he simply replied.

I felt my mind shut off at his words; I certainly did not want to have Bella involved or worried about this. "That is a _completely_ ridiculous idea," I scoffed.

"Edward, you are one of the noblest men I have ever met. You value honor and family, and most of all, you fight your own battles. Aro has never been any of those things. He has always ruled through fear. But even the worst of fears can be conquered," William said calmly.

"I have no desire to rule over anything. I am not the man to replace Aro," I said through my teeth, incredulous at the turn this conversation had taken.

"Nothing needs to be decided now, Edward," William assured me. He turned just a little and I followed suit, facing him now. "But you must know that wheels have already been set in motion and it is only a matter of time before Italy is at our doorstep," he said flatly. "Walk with me Edward," he finished as he motioned with one hand to follow him towards the side of the house.

We walked into a vast garden filled with every flower possible it seemed. The breeze was filled with their scent. There were small ponds scattered about, filled with lily pads and lovely vignettes throughout. There were puffs of dandelions dancing in the air. How I wished I could enjoy this place under a different set of circumstances.

As we walked along, William placed his arms behind him and seemed to be in thought. There were birds in a tree ahead and upon sensing predators nearing, flew out into the bright blue sky.

"Edward, I understand that the prospect of you in Italy again, much less taking Aro's place, seems unfathomable to you. News of what happened to you and your family in Forks traveled fast. When you succeeded, it started a sort of revolt. Those loyal to Aro began to see the cracks. It became more and more apparent that there were many within the walls of Volterra who were divided. They realized that although Aro was powerful, he stood on the shoulders of those who surrounded him and without them, well…he was nothing more than an _'ancient'_ with a sick sense of humor.

"He has lost his sensibilities about what the true purpose of Volterra is.

Being Vampire has changed throughout the ages. But once we have a grasp of the beast within us all we must also abide by the reign of those who lead us. These men and women are put in place because they understand the importance of keeping our anonymity and cultivating our history. If we allow anarchy within our kind we give in to extinction. A war among the Vampires can only lead to a war among humans as well. We will have no choice but to be the hunters or the hunted." William stopped momentarily to gauge my reaction thus far.

I continued to walk, looking straight ahead and knowing he was right, but unable to bring myself to give in.

He took a deep breath and continued. "Edward, you would be able to change everything. You would be able to restore all that has been lost. Yes, there will be those who oppose, but those views can be silenced or snuffed. Either way, you are destined to walk the marble halls of Volterra and restore what has been forgotten. Seeking out Vampires for their powers and using them as pawns to be used for his every whim has made many enemies for Aro. Believe me, his demise will come swiftly."

William continued to go into further detail about Aro and Italy, but all I could think of was that after all I had sacrificed already, here I was again having to wage a war I wanted no part of. I couldn't care less if Volterra fell. All I wanted was to be married and live my life with Bella. This entire conversation had placed a weight on my chest that pressed on me heavily. I felt the need take to the sky. I wanted to have my freedom. I deserved to be happy. Bella deserved to be happy.

But how far would I go to assure that she was? How much would I risk assuring that we were safe? _Everything_ was my answer. I would risk everything. I would destroy whatever stood in my way. There would be nothing left.

Sensing my shift in mood, William stopped and smiled, waving a hand between us as if to push away this topic. "I have not meant to upset you."

"William, if the loyalty of so many is in question, how do we know who to trust?" I asked, ignoring his comment.

"In the end, Edward, we can only trust ourselves. We have to listen to what our instincts dictate. We are primal creatures, but our legacy is much too valuable to waste away in the hands of Aro. While we are violent by nature, we prefer to live in peace amongst ourselves. We have adapted—each in our own way—to living with the humans. But again, if we do nothing than we lose everything," he finished.

I stopped walking as he spoke and rubbed the back of my neck as I thought on his words. "William, thank you for the warning about Italy. Believe me, my family and I are grateful. I am sorry if this topic puts me off and I certainly do not mean to be rude, but I have _no _intention of going to Italy. I value the happiness and safety of my family first. We have only recently come together again after an overwhelming ordeal and need to move forward," I stated firmly.

William's face softened. "I do understand, of course. I only ask that you think on what I have said, for all of our sakes, Edward. Let's go back inside shall we? There are other, more pleasant subjects to discuss."

I nodded and reluctantly went back inside with him. It had been over an hour or so and the guys had joined the rest of our party in the great room, and they were all happily discussing the wedding.

Camille and Bella seemed to be fast friends as they sat together on one of the small couches. All of the ladies were giggling and carrying on about dresses.

"Camille, you and I must spend a day wedding shopping," Esme exclaimed, giving Camille an adoring smile.

"Oh, that would be such fun," Camille replied excitedly. "We must choose a day soon."

"Well, everyone, we must be going," Carlisle announced standing up from the couch. I was grateful he had spoken; there was so much I needed to think on now.

The car ride back was filled with chatter, but I couldn't bring myself to join in with my family. The all too familiar weight on my chest was back and feeling heavier than ever.

Bella leaned into me and I wrapped an arm around her, pressing my lips to her head. "I love you, Bella," I whispered into her hair.

She took my hand and kissed the inside of my wrist. "I love you, too, Edward."

She was my love, my whole life…No matter what may be coming our way, I had to protect her first and foremost. For now, I wanted to forget today. I wanted to forget William's warnings and focus on our wedding, which, of course, may be easier said than done. Only time would tell.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note:** Hello again everyone! Thank you for being so patient with me on this one. Things are starting to calm down on this end for me so posting should be a bit faster now. This story is such a pleasure for me to write. It feels effortless because the story has already unfolded in my head. I just hope I can do it justice. I want to take a moment and thank "My Bella" again. She is a constant source of inspiration for me and a great sounding board. This story would not be as fun to write if she were not on board with me. Sooo anyway, enough of my ranting, here is the next installment. I hope you all enjoy it as much as we do! Thanks again for all of your support! OH and P.S. all of the characters in this belong to Stephenie Meyer, except the ones I have created! :) Enjoy!

~VBR~

* * *

It had been almost two weeks since we had visited with William, and I had spent every waking moment trying to put his words out of my mind. Bella and I were focused on our wedding and were having a really great time planning it together. The big day was in three days and pretty much all of the arrangements were taken care of.

We were expecting about fifty guests since we had decided to keep it down to the closest friends we had. So far, everything was running smoothly and Bella's only insistence was that the color scheme be red, white and black. She had allowed Alice, Rose, Esme, and Camille to run with the rest of it, and they were doing an excellent job of honoring our wishes and keeping everything intimate.

Bella and the girls had, of course, insisted that we keep away whenever they were shopping for dresses, but Alice did assure me that Bella's dress was an absolute dream. I had actually taken the reigns a bit with the men's suits and had taken Carlisle, Emmett, and Jasper to get fitted. We all looked pretty dapper in our black tuxes and red vests.

The most exciting part for me was getting to surprise Bella with a honeymoon in Gloucester. We had decided that we just wanted a week away and definitely wanted to stay close by. Although we had discussed it little, none of us had forgotten William's warning.

Alice had assigned everyone a list of chores to complete to get the Manor House ready for the big day. She was currently in the garden speaking to the florist and finalizing details for the garden. I was in my room, tidying up after Bella and myself, and putting our books away.

Her scent reached me moments before she came in and sat on the bed, smiling and leaning back on her arms. "Hi there," Bella said softly, her golden eyes focused on me.

"Hello there yourself, my love. How are things downstairs?"

"Alice and Rose are dealing with the florist now, so I figured it would be a good time to come see what Mr. Cullen was up to," she replied, smiling sweetly at me.

"I see. Well, _Mrs. Cullen_, I am honored that you have come to see to my well being," I joked, kissing her forehead. Her face then became focused and she sat up.

"Edward, there is actually something serious I want to speak to you about and I hope that you won't get upset, but I think it's important that we address it."

"In that case, you have my full attention," I replied sitting in the lounge chair across from her.

Bella began to interlace her fingers, glancing from me to her them before finally speaking. "Well, since you had that last talk with William, you seem out of sorts. I know what he wants from you, Edward. And I know how you feel about it all…But the reason I bring it up now, is because…Well…I agree with him." She stopped momentarily, glancing up at me through her lashes while waiting for my response.

"I see," I replied, my head automatically cocking to the side. I'd thought I was being careful and keeping this to myself, but apparently I'd slipped at some point and now Bella was worrying over this mess. I took a deep breath, trying to control my annoyance so that Bella wouldn't think it was directed at her. "What part exactly are you agreeing with?" I asked, just barely resisting the urge to grab the bridge of my nose.

She bit at her lip and changed the position of her fingers, somehow managing to look more determined than nervous. "Edward, if Italy falls into the hands of Aro's maniacs, then none of us are safe, _ever_. I don't want to deal with this anymore than you do, but I think this is an issue we must face together, as family."

"Absolutely not, Isabella!" I roared, standing up and going to the window. Sometime between this morning and just now, my future wife had lost her mind. That could be the only explanation for her to imagine for a single second that I would ever entertain such an idea.

"Edward, I—"

"We are _not_ going to Italy," I said through my clenched teeth. "I won't take you back there; any of you. This is not our fight, not anymore," I added, crossing my arms over my chest in a useless attempt to hold back some of the anger and frustration I felt over this situation.

Bella came to my side, putting her hands on my arm and showing an expression somewhere between determined and infuriated. She still looked more like an irate kitten than a lioness, but I knew better than to mention that to her.

"Edward Cullen, you listen to me," she demanded, her golden eyes on fire with her determination. "We cannot live in a bubble for the rest of our lives! They will come for us wherever we go, sooner or later." She took a breath, calming herself. "I just think Italy should be something we discuss as a family. Maybe if you talked it out with all of us, you could consider what William said objectively, and maybe even see that it makes a lot of sense. You are a leader, Sweetheart. Any one of us would follow you to depths of hell," she said softly kissing my hand. "And you have more pull in the Vampire world than you or I realized."

My resolve, of course, dissipated with her touch, and I found myself wanting to avoid an argument with her. But that didn't mean I wasn't curious. "Bella, how do you know what William and I discussed?" I asked, sliding my hand over her hair. "I haven't wanted to worry you with such things before our wedding, or at all really."

"Which brings me to another bone I have to pick with you, Sir," she said, stepping back a few steps. She knew me too well and she knew allowing me to stroke her hair that way would end with her being too dazzled to argue further. "I don't appreciate you blocking me out of your thoughts like that from something that affects us all," she fussed, actually managing a small glare. "I feel these disturbances in you regardless, but you also haven't realized when your guard has come down a few times lately. Edward, I'm worried more for your own sanity. You can't carry the burden of all of this. I know it's your instinct to go into 'protector mode', but you can't treat us like we're incapable of holding our own."

I moved forward closing the space between us. "I love that about you," I murmured, wrapping her up in my arms and hoping to end this unwanted discussion.

"What?" she asked, looking puzzled as she stared up at me.

"The way you like to knock some sense into me," I explained, half smiling and swaying slowly with her in my embrace.

"So you'll consider it then?" she asked, her golden eyes shining with excitement for her supposed victory.

"Not a chance," I said, kissing her before she could reply.

"_You don't play fair!"_ she yelped in thought.

"_Not when it comes to your safety and happiness."_

She let out an aggravated sigh and playfully pushed me away. "I should have known the conversation was going too well. You were hardly yelling at all."

I laughed and tightened my grip on her waist, towing her out of the room with me. We headed downstairs to join the family and found Esme on the phone with Camille. They were planning to finally meet tomorrow morning for some shopping. Esme had grown very fond of Camille and they seemed to get on splendidly.

Bella slipped away from my side and went over to Alice who was on a ladder hanging twinkle lights. "Those look great, Alice!" Bella exclaimed.

"Don't they?" Alice mused with a satisfied smirk. "Bella, Rose needs to wrap up a few things on your dress. She went up to her room to get started but said to tell you to get your _bride-to-be_ butt in there to help," she said giggling.

Bella rolled her eyes. "Oh, alright! Will you be okay, Edward?" she asked, kissing my cheek.

"Yes, I'll be fine, but I will come get you in a bit so we can go hunt for the evening. There is a full moon out tonight and I thought we could go out by the lake," I replied, caressing her hair.

"Sounds perfect," she agreed, giving me a big smile. And then she took off, running up the stairs as fast as she could.

I headed for the den, wanting to spend a few hours going over my vows, but was interrupted by Alice's sing song voice. "Edward, would you have a minute for your little sis?" she asked sweetly.

"Sure, Ally. What's up?" I asked, as she came down the ladder quicker than should be possible.

She put her arm in mine and led me out to the solarium. "Edward, you and I haven't had a chance to really talk in awhile and there are a few things we need to address."

"The women in this house are awfully concerned about _addressing_ things with me today," I mused. "Let me guess…You want to threaten my life if I haven't chosen the perfect tuxes to go with the dresses you've found."

"Edward, I am being perfectly serious," she said curtly.

"As am I," I chuckled. But as usual, her pout made me regret my snide remarks to her. "Continue please," I urged as we each sat in the lounge chairs by the pool.

With a flare only Alice could manage to pull off without looking ridiculous, she crossed her legs and rested her clasped hands on her knee. "For some time now, you and I have been sharing visions. The banners, the lions, the marble hallways, weddings…I haven't wanted to delve into it too much because honestly, none of it has made any sense. Until recently that is—William and Camille play a large part in all of this. I like them both very much and feel that they are true friends. But even with having most of the pieces…Edward, so much of these visions depend on you." She paused, adjusting herself in her seat as she stared at me.

I found myself looking out to the water assessing her words against my better judgment.

"Every country has some sort of leader who is Vampire," Alice continued. "Italy is the mecca for it all, though and whoever leads there is absolute. Aro has ruled there for so long now that few can remember anyone before him. Edward, if you decide to pursue this, you will be able to assure that we can live in safety. There will be a peaceful order amongst the vampires. I know you resist the thought of Italy, my brother, but you must know the benefits that can come of this." She paused again and reached out for my hand.

I took it and stared into her honey eyes. "Alice, I am not meant to lead anyone, much less vampires. I want to keep you all safe, and live a happy life with Bella. I want things to be how they were always meant to be. We fought off Demitri and Victoria in Forks, and uprooted Bella—that nearly did us all in. We were separated for a year and now that we're finally together again, it's time for our happily ever after. I am not interested in dealing with Aro or Italy. If there is anyone out there with a bone to pick with us, we can take them as they come."

"Oh, that's much safer than stopping it before it starts," Alice retorted.

"Damn it," I growled. "I just want to live in peace. Why are you always so quick to jump right into the next conflict?"

"I'm not. And if you were actually listening to my words, you would hear that what I want is for you to take charge and bring peace for all vampires."

"But me of all people being in charge of our kind is ridiculous," I argued. "If anyone is up for that kind of thing it would be Carlisle."

Almost as if being summoned, Carlisle walked out to the solarium. "Now it is you who is being ridiculous, son," he said chuckling.

"I am no leader," he said sitting next to me and patting my leg. I am a father-figure to you, yes, but I am not the man for _that _job. I am too reserved."

"You can put Emmett in his place with just a look," I pointed out.

"Emmett respects me enough to comply," Carlisle rebutted. He must have seen I was going to argue more because he lifted a hand to silence me. "Edward, for some time now I have heard the rumblings of what William has said to you, about how there are other covens who would seek guidance from you. You have even been sought out by Aro himself since I turned you. None of this is a new development Edward. You can't have been so blind to the notion, especially not after the unprecedented attack you saw us all through."

I sighed and leaned my head back into the chair, wanting this conversation to end quickly. "You are mistaken, Carlisle, I have been happily blind to that idea. You have to understand that the thought one of you getting hurt is something I cannot bear. If something were to happen to any of you because of something I brought upon us, I would not survive it," I said seriously.

"Son, you and I have been together long enough to know that there are no mistakes in life. We each have to rise to meet what comes to challenge us. Had you not made the decisions you have made thus far, you would not have the happiness you have found with Bella. Of course your instinct is to protect it, to protect us all, but you are meant for more than this Edward. You _must_ know that," Carlisle pressed as I got to my feet.

"If it's all the same to you, I would like to bury this subject. I am done speaking about this. I am getting married in a few days and do not intend to have my mood soured with everyone else's delusions of grandeur for me. Excuse me," I said dryly and walked out into the garden.

I could hear Alice and Carlisle going on about me, but I blocked them out. I focused on my surroundings instead, realizing that night was falling and the moon was already high in the canvas of the sky.

It was quiet as I entered the woods—my footsteps made no sound, allowing the silence to wrap around me. If only it was this easy to quiet the voices in my head, my own included.

I felt my senses hone and I began to run; I had no direction in mind as I raced along through the woods. I leapt over logs and propelled myself off of the sides of trees, focusing on the way my body hurled me forward. With each inch of ground gained, my mind began to clear, giving me the freedom I longed for.

My pace slowed as I came to a clearing, allowing me to revel in the beauty of this place. The night sky was filled with stars and the clouds were elsewhere, allowing my eyes to see for miles in any direction I looked.

The field before me was wide and leant itself to the solace I was seeking. I slowed to a walk as I scanned the area—nothing but deer off in the distance. I closed my eyes and focused harder, enjoying how the silence comforted me; not even the crickets sang tonight.

Somewhere along the way, I became so relaxed I let myself fall back onto the thick grass. I lay there, splayed out and watching the stars above me. The sky itself seemed to wrap around me like a blanket. What a perfect bed this would be!

How I longed to sleep! Every so often, I was overcome with the desire to be able to close my eyes and drift off. I could scarcely remember what it was really like, but the idea of my mind disconnecting was infinitely appealing. I ran my hands through my hair and kept my eyes closed, allowing the silence to continue washing over me and calm me.

I could here my family's faint voices in the distant corner of my mind and my senses automatically reached out for Bella. I could feel her—her scent, her mind. She was thirsty and was coming out of the house to me. I could almost see her in my mind's eye. Much like I did, she took a few steps out into the garden and began to run.

She was coming closer. I lay there with a smile that only she could cause all over my face. My innocent thoughts of holding her close turned into a flash of desire that I had no intention of attempting to control. I wanted to taste her—_needed_ to taste her.

In one stealth move, I knelt and crouched low, ready to speed off again. I sniffed the air to mark her exact direction and then took off, heading straight for her. She'd smelled elk and there was enough for both of us.

We each took down our kill and fed hungrily. I was done first, and once I disposed of the remains, I leaned against a tree, watching her finish her meal. It was taking everything in me to be patient and wait.

After Bella discarded the remains of her elk, she walked slowly over to me. Without saying a word, she reached a hand up and caressed the side of my face, never taking her eyes from mine. "I'm sorry if we have frustrated you today, Edward. We only want to share your burden," she whispered.

I pressed my fingertips against her lips and wrapped my other arm around her, pressing her supple body to mine. With a coy smile on her beautiful lips, she kissed my fingers. I smirked back at her, letting them slide down her chin and wrap around the side of her neck.

I leaned her head to one side, licking the length of her shoulder and neck and filling the air around us with her soft moan of pleasure. I longed to have a deeper connection with her and could bear the strain no longer. My hands roamed hungrily, lifting her top up and over her head.

Obviously wanting to prolong my need for her, she took a few steps back smiling seductively. Her fingers slipped into the waistline of her jeans and she took her time sliding them down her long legs, making sure I was watching. She'd entered the woods barefoot, making it all the easier for her to remove her clothing. She remained a few feet away from me, allowing the moon to caress her naked body and make it shimmer in the dark. How I ached for her!

I reached one arm behind my head and pulled off my shirt as I quickly closed the space between us. I easily picked her up in my arms and her legs automatically wrapped around me. Laying her down on the soft grass, I made love to the one woman who could heal me, the one woman who could truly love me.

I held her tightly as we lay there in the afterglow, staring up at the sky. As much as I wanted to just continue enjoying the silence with her, I knew I had to get this off my chest before it could fester any further. "Bella, can I ask you something?"

"Permission granted," she joked, turning her face and kissing my bare chest.

I smiled down at her, caressing her shoulder. "Do you really think that I can make you happy? I wonder if I am going to be a good husband."

"Wow, and I'm usually the one being called absurd," she said, smiling at me.

"Bella, I'm serious."

Her smile faded, but not the love in her golden eyes. "You already are an amazing man, Edward. The fact that we are getting married only means that we are professing our love on a grander scale. We are perfect for one another and no matter what happens, we will always be together."

Her words comforted me greatly and I realized they were just what I'd been needing to hear. In some weird way, I was feeling vulnerable and had needed to hear her say those words.

I kissed her lips, thanking her for her honesty. "I love you, Bella. Always," I whispered.

We lay there for a short time more before getting dressed and walking together through the moonlit night. We took our time, strolling through the grounds while only occasionally speaking aloud. It amazed me how easily this woman could ease my worries and give me a peaceful night—I just hoped that as her husband, I would never take it for granted.

It was dawn before we found ourselves in the fairyland that our garden had become. "Wow" I said, feeling truly amazed.

"Alice has outdone herself," Bella stated, equally impressed.

A beautiful gazebo had been erected at the end of the long walk on the far end of the house. White lilacs and roses were everywhere, covering every inch of the garden, while tall silver candelabras held beautiful white candles for the ceremony. Although they were not lit, you could almost see how magical everything would look in their glow. Bella and I had decided that the ceremony would be held as the sun set. Knowing this, Alice had taken extra care for mood lighting.

"Tomorrow will be the happiest day of my life. Well almost," I said matter-of-factly.

"Almost?" she asked, taking my arm as we walked the garden.

"Bella, there have been so many amazing moments since we have met that each seems to surpass the other. I am just so thrilled that you will be Mrs. Edward Cullen, finally."

She smiled up at me and I could scarcely remember what had upset me just hours before. She reached up on her tip-toes and kissed me softly and sweetly.

We walked hand in hand into the house to find Esme and Rose giggling as they cleaned up the great room. "Good Morning, ladies," I greeted.

Esme walked over to me and placed her hands on either side of my face. "Edward, I can hardly believe that you are getting married tomorrow." She reached a hand over to Bella, playing with a strand of her hair. "Seeing you two together, it's like watching happiness come to life. I am so thrilled for all of my children. You have each managed to find a love that will be with you always," she added before kissing my cheek and then Bella's. "I hope that you will both be as happy if not happier than your father and I are."

"Oh, Mom, you are so sweet when you get all romantic and sappy," I joked, playfully embracing her while my other arm remained around Bella. I'd just spent the entire night with her and I still couldn't bring myself to part with her.

"Oh hush! I am not sappy!" Esme retorted, playfully pushing me away.

"Esme, I love you, but that was totally sappy," Rose said, barely containing her laughter.

Esme rolled her eyes and waived us away. "Well, fine! I will take my sappy self elsewhere. Besides, Camille should be here shortly. We're going shopping for some last minute things. You can all just stay here and endure Alice in total revved up, crazy, wedding mode." And in a very un-motherly gesture, she stuck her tongue out at us as she went up the stairs, sending us all into a round of laughter.

Just as the rest of the family joined us to help finalize decorations, Camille rang our doorbell. Bella greeted her at the door, lovingly embraced the regal woman we'd come to call our friend. Camille stood there looking stylish in her black slacks and white top with her hair swept up and her sunglasses on. Behind her, I could see a beautiful Mercedes in the driveway.

"Nice ride, Cam," Emmett said enthusiastically, causing Rose to elbow his side.

"Cam?" she said under her breath. "That's classy, Emmett!" she scolded.

"It's quite alright, Rose. It makes me feel like one of the family. And since we are friends, there is no need to be so formal," Camille said, smiling sweetly at all of us.

"Yeah, Rosie," Emmett said with a smirk. "We're friends. And I'm sure Cam wouldn't mind us taking her Mercedes for a joyride while she waits for Esme," he quipped, looking hopeful.

"Ha! Not on your life, big guy," Camille responded, earning laughs from all of us.

"Emmett Cullen, for Heaven's sake," Esme said, rolling her eyes. "Please go find something else to do," she finished as she slipped her jacket on. She too looked beautiful in her dark denim jeans and black blouse.

Carlisle clearly thought so because he actually catcalled at the sight of her. "Now are you sure you ladies are just going shopping? Or do William and I have anything to worry about?" he questioned jokingly.

Esme walked into his arms and kissed him chastely. "You, my love, have nothing to concern yourself about. We will be back before this evening."

"Have a good time and call me if you need anything," he said, waving at Esme and Camille as they got into the black Mercedes.

With Esme gone, the rest of us spent the day decorating and cracking jokes at one another, getting rowdier than we normally would have since Esme was out for the afternoon.

It was dusk when we decided to play poker in the den. We all needed a break and Emmett wouldn't shut up about it until we all sat down to play. It was about an hour or so later when Alice was about to play her winning hand, that she went rigid and would not speak. We surrounded her, each trying to get her to react but she would not respond. She simply looked up at Carlisle.

His face was suddenly contorted with fear and he immediately reached for his cell phone and called Esme. No answer. Something in her face made him panic.

All at once I realized that our mother was late, Alice was having a vision and now Esme could not be reached. There was something wrong.

One by one panic, took over each of our faces. Carlisle kept calling and calling and nothing. Each time her voicemail answered.

Bella stood in front of Alice placing each hand on her little shoulders. "Alice, what is it? Please Alice what do you see?" she pleaded.

Emmett immediately began to pace like a caged animal while Rose called Camille's cell phone to the same result. No answer.

Alice's eyes blinked rapidly and her eyes met mine. I knew that once the words were spoken something within me would wake. Something violent and deadly—we had shared this look before.

Alice licked her lips as she tried to form the words. "They've been taken," she croaked.

"_What_! What do you mean they've been _taken_, Alice?" Bella shouted.

"Camille and Esme; they've been taken," Alice repeated.

I looked over to Carlisle, his eyes black as night. He steadied himself and bolted out of the house. The rest of us followed him out into the night.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note**: All Characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, aside from the ones I have taken the liberty of creating.

Thank you for all of your words of encouragement! This chapter was alot of fun to write and I hope you enjoy it! As always thank you to _My Bella_ for helping to make each one extra special!

~VBR~

* * *

We ran into the building on the backside of the property that we'd modified into our garage, while Rose continued to try Camille and Esme's cell phones. She looked as if she would burst if she continued to only reach their voicemails.

Bella and I had Carlisle in my jag while the others jumped into Emmett's truck. My father's chest heaved as he became more and more panicked; there had never been a threat against Esme before, and I could hear his agony in his thoughts.

Collectively, we knew to head straight for William's house, all of this thinking that if anyone had answers, it would be him. Carlisle's thoughts were loud in my head and I struggled to dampen them so I could focus on driving.

We weren't sure at this point if this was William's doing, or if he was in the same position we were in. I couldn't believe that he would have anything to do with it, but I was torn and lost in my own rage. Carlisle, on the other hand, seemed to believe that William had something, if not everything, to do with this.

We peeled out of the driveway and as we exited the gates of the property, we were met with a black Ferrari speeding down the road to us.

"William," I announced, slowing my car.

William looked equally enraged as he parked his car and half ran to us.

Before my Jag came to a complete stop, Carlisle was out the door and speeding toward William.

Carlisle barreled into William and pinned him to the hood of his car gripping the front of jacket. "Where is my _wife_!" Carlisle roared. His lips were pulled back in a snarl as the fingers on his other hand dug into William's neck.

"Have you lost your mind!" William yelled. "Do you realize who you are attacking?"

It took Emmett, Jasper and me to pull Carlisle from William. Our father snarled and shook in our arms—the only time we'd ever seen him out of control in all the years we'd spent with him.

"Carlisle, we should at least listen to what he has to say," Jasper reasoned. "You taught us all to think before acting, and to give the benefit of the doubt. And remember, Camille has been taken, too," he added.

Slowly, Carlisle stopped struggling against our restraining arms. His thoughts were only slightly calmer as he fought to figure out how anyone could ever want to harm his sweet wife.

"What has happened?" William demanded, steadying himself as he stood up and adjusted his jacket. "Camille won't answer her phone and I can sense that she is in danger."

"We don't know yet. We've been trying them both on their cell phones since Alice had her vision," I reported curtly. "What do _you_ know?"

"That my wife came to visit your family and now she's in danger," he replied, his ruby eyes flashing with anger. "What do you know from this vision?"

We all looked around at each other, realizing that in our panic, we had never pressed Alice for details.

"Alice, what did you see?" Carlisle asked, turning to her as gently as he could. He was visibly trying to remain calm through his rage, still half-glaring at William.

Alice's face became grave and she bit her lip, looking as if she would sob. She looked up at our father and her thoughts were terrified, her news would crush him. She took a steadying breath and then spoke a very edited version of her thoughts. "They were put on a plane. He is bleeding them to keep them weak. There isn't much time." she croaked.

Images of my mother weak and crying out seeped into my mind from Alice's faltering block and I felt the "snap" inside of me—literally _felt _the moment when my brain stopped reasoning and the only thing controlling me was the burning need to annihilate anyone and everyone involved in separating my family.

Looking around at my sisters and brothers, my wife, my father…I could see and feel that fury emanating from all of us. One spark and we would all ignite, taking apart anyone stupid enough to try and stop us from getting our mother back.

But in order to get her back, I needed more details—needed to know where to go. As if my thought was all it had taken, my phone rang in my pocket. I lifted it up and flipped it open, knowing this would be my answer.

"Greetings, Edward! Are all of your _precious_ plans for your nuptials ready?" the sinister voice asked, daring to chuckle. He had no idea he was deciding for me just how slowly he would die.

"_Where_ are they?" I demanded between my teeth, turning from the others and pacing.

"We are going on a little vacation with the ladies. We trust that they won't be missed too badly at your wedding. But don't you worry your pretty little head, Cullen. We will kill them once they have suffered enough, and we have so many wonderful ways to make them suffer," he said, sounding very pleased with himself. "The catacombs are littered with the ashes of _naughty_ little vampires. Mmm…although I will have to have my way with these two when they are weak enough, they are much too pretty to go to waste," he cackled into the phone.

"You will choke on my fist first, Roland," I promised him. "You have signed your death sentence," I growled, looking up at William. This monster was supposed to be _his_ man! All of those warnings he'd upset me with and he'd missed the biggest threat to all of us.

My eyes scanned my family, finding them all in a stunned silence with disbelieving looks on their faces. I'd warned them all countless times that I was a killer, but they'd never believed. Now, they were going to see it—well, a few of them would.

I snapped my phone shut and turned to walk back to my car grabbing Bella's wrist as I passed her. "Italy…We go to Italy," I roared as I walked past Carlisle.

He quickly fell in step behind me, along with the rest of our group. I led Bella to the driver's side of the Jag and moved to put her in the car.

"Edward, what are you doing?" she asked, her voice filled with panic as she stared at me with wide eyes.

"You, Rose, and Alice will stay here at the house. You will be safe here," I stated. "Park the car back in the garage and then go inside."

"Like hell we are!" she yelled, pulling her wrist form my hand. "We are _not_ staying here, Edward. You have to see it will take all of us to get through this!" she said ferociously.

"Edward, you are out of your damned mind if you think I am waiting around here while our mother and friend are out there somewhere," Rose added. The way she was standing tall and glaring at me begged me to argue with her and give her a reason to unleash some of the rage she was trying to control.

"We cannot leave them here unprotected either, Edward," Jasper said, giving his words a note of finality. He was obviously not going to back me on keeping them here.

I turned to the one person who knew as much as I did about what we were up against. "Alice, you know where we must go. Tell them how dangerous it is!" I roared.

Alice looked over to Rose and Bella, and then back at me. Her face became focused and I could tell I would not like her answer. "Edward, the way I see it, you can either let us go with you now, or have us meet you there. Either way we all go." She turned in one fluid movement and climbed up into Emmett's truck, sitting there as if she were ready to leave for a daytrip.

I growled and grabbed at my hair, trying to figure out how to convince them staying here was the only way to keep them safe.

"Edward, stop being a pain-in-the-ass," Emmett demanded, gripping the truck door in a manner that had its hinges squeaking. "You know damn well that we'll be stronger together. And you'll be more focused with Bella at your side than wondering if she's okay all the way over here."

I glared at Emmett, pinching the bridge of my nose. He had a small point and that just enraged me further. I never wanted Bella to have to fight in the battle with the newborn army, and I damn sure didn't want her fighting in Italy. But looking at her now, seeing the set of her jaw and the fire in her eyes, I knew she wouldn't be denied her own vengeance for what was being done to Esme and Camille.

"We are wasting time!" Carlisle shouted, patting my shoulder and urging me toward the car.

"This is not the end of this conversation," I said to Bella sternly as she smirked and slid behind the wheel of my car.

"Follow me to my house first. We will need weapons," William declared.

Emmett and Bella drove behind William through the dark night, speeding down the streets in silence. Bella was infuriated with me, but at the moment, all I could do was try to reign in my own fury. This was beyond anything I could have imagined. Esme being taken was a completely unprovoked action.

As my thoughts ran away with me, I realized that Roland was testing alliances as well. He knew we would suspect that William would be behind this. I immediately felt remorse for my distrust of William just moments ago. He had been a good friend to us—and here I was, once again at fault for the pain of someone who was close to me. Was everything I touched doomed to turn to ash?

All too soon we turned into the massive driveway of William's home. The lights of the house shown brightly in the dark night, illuminating the driveway filled with every expensive vehicle I could think of. Under different circumstances, I might have mistaken this for a sign that Camille was throwing a party.

The house was filled with vampires and as we entered, we were immediately greeted by voices of concern and disbelief.

"William, what has happened? Who has done such a thing?" a small blonde woman demanded.

The others followed suit all questioning at once. Between the voices out loud and the voices in my head, it was taking a lot of effort to keep from screaming at them all to shut up.

"Dear friends, thank you for your concern," William said as he stood in the middle of the gathering. "I am sorry to report that one of our own has betrayed us. Roland has taken Camille and Esme and I am beside myself about it. I should have seen this coming, but there is no time to waste now. We _must_ get to Italy," he stated.

His audience gasped and became even more excitable at the news. Although scanning their thoughts didn't reveal any sign of harm toward us, I felt that we could trust no one. After all, I'd never picked up any thoughts of ill-will from Roland and now he had my mother…And if William could be betrayed by his right hand man, than there was no one for us to trust. From the few stray thoughts I could pick up from William, I could tell he felt the same.

"We will have the head of Roland Demarche. If you are not with me on this, than you are no longer welcome in my home and I ask you to leave. This will be my final warning," William declared.

The room fell silent as our small group squared off, ready to battle anyone who opposed. Slowly, one by one, the crowd of about fifteen vampires looked William in the eye. Emmett stepped in front just a little, ready to protect us all.

Suddenly, a tall dark man came forward. "William, we are here to help you. We are on your side, and with you and the Cullen family to the end," he stated humbly as the rest of the room nodded in agreement.

"Thank you, Armand. All of you," William said, giving them a small nod. "Let's prepare. Come this way," he added, walking swiftly to a door under the grand staircase.

Carlisle caught up to William and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Forgive me, William. I was out of line before," he said remorsefully.

"There is nothing to forgive. I was coming over to your house with the same reaction in mind," he replied, half-chuckling. "We are fools in love, and we will get them back, Carlisle. All of us together, we will bring them back home."

The room was pitch black, as was the flight of metal stairs we followed him down. We reached the bottom of the stairs and William flicked on a light switch, flooding the massive space with bright light. We were standing in an immense artillery room.

"Oh. My. God!" Emmett exclaimed. "Now we're talking!"

"Please help yourselves," William offered, waving a hand toward the rows and rows of weapons. "We will take my plane to Italy so there will be no need to worry about weapons in the airport."

I watched as the large group of vampires surveyed the room and carefully started to pick out their weapons of choice. I realized then that this was the beginning of everything I had been dreading. All these weeks I had tried so hard to stifle the possibility of anything happening.

A flash of mahogany hair caught my attention and my eyes landed on Bella, watching as she strapped a belted dagger to her thigh. She reached up and grabbed a second, affixing it to her other leg.

"Bella, you must know that I only want you to be safe," I started, helping her to choose a few other weapons. "I know all of you can hold your own, but it doesn't mean that I want to put you in harms way. Roland is obviously trying to get at us using the women we love. He knows this is our weakness," I continued.

Bella stopped and looked up at me. "Apology accepted," she said, half-smiling. "Edward, I know what your feelings are on the matter. But, baby, you've been overruled. We are a family, a unit. We will all be careful and, of course, follow your lead, but we cannot be separated again," she finished, kissing me sweetly.

"I'm sorry," I whispered as my forehead rested on hers.

"I already said you were forgiven, Silly," she replied.

"Not about that…about tomorrow. Our wedding has been put in jeopardy now," I said sullenly.

Bella smiled softly and caressed my face. "Edward, nothing will ever put our wedding in jeopardy. If we can't have the ceremony tomorrow, oh well. We'll eventually have our day. The important thing right now is that we get Esme and Camille to safety and end this once and for all," she finished. "Now suit up and let's finish this."

"You are so sexy when you're demanding," I teased as I turned to grab a few knives.

William approached me and placed a hand on my shoulder. "May I have a word?" he asked.

I nodded and allowed him to lead me to an empty corner of the room.

"Edward, I don't think I need to tell you that this is the moment we have been discussing for so long," he said. "I am only sorry it has happened in this way. I would like for you to have this," he offered as he handed me a magnificent sword. The hilt was encrusted with a golden lion's head, and its eyes were blue sapphires. "It was my great grandfather's," William explained. "He used it in battle to safely bring himself back to my grandmother. In my time, it has slain many vampires—always to keep the greater peace for our kind. It would be an honor if you were to keep it," he said firmly, putting the sheath into my hands.

I felt humbled that he would give me such a valuable family heirloom. "Thank you. I will use it well," I replied.

With that, we were all ready and headed back to the driveway. We drove to a private airport about twenty minutes away where a black jet waited for our arrival.

We were airborne shortly thereafter, and once again, I found myself lost in the tidal wave of thoughts all around me. Jasper was in a similar situation with all of the anxiety on board. It seemed everyone was anxious and concerned.

Needing something to do with herself, Alice continued to try Esme and Camille's cell phones, and each time, only their voicemails would answer. William made a few attempts to call Roland's cell phone and was met with the same result.

It was morning when we arrived in Italy, but the day was rainy and gloomy; ominous. A fleet of black hummers was waiting for us and we piled in, immediately becoming more alert as we readied ourselves for anything. Volterra was not far off and we somehow felt we would be met with a few obstacles before making it in.

As we drove toward our destination, I was able to convince Alice to share a few more details of her vision with me. It seemed Esme and Camille had been taken into the old catacombs. I knew they were beneath Aro's lair, but I had yet to figure out his whole role in this.

We pulled into the gates of the city, finding the square completely deserted. What a stark contrast to the last time I was here, when the plaza had been full of revelers. This sort of emptiness was not natural—another sign that this was no friendly visit.

"We should have half of our team scan the perimeter and the rest of us should go in," I said to William.

"Yes, that sounds good. I will alert the others," he agreed.

I helped Bella out of the truck as the others joined us under the rain. Emmett was barely containing his fury and was more than ready to get his hands on anyone he could make pay for angering him like this. Jasper was scanning our surroundings, running different scenarios in his head. I focused on Alice, trying to determine if she'd seen anything new, but she was blocking me completely.

Rosalie caught my eye and her thoughts became the loudest thing in my head for a moment. "_Get to saving our mother, Edward._"

Quickly, William and I worked together to divide everyone into groups. The group that was staying outside spread out in the gloom. Some climbed the walls while others entered the city on foot.

As for my family and William, we were joined by about five other vamps, all of them itching for combat.

Bella took my hand and I could feel how tense she was. "Are you alright?" I asked, concerned.

"I can track her scent," she replied, looking up at me as if she was in pain.

"Lead the way then, my love." I said softly.

"There is so much blood, Edward," she said, her face scrunched in disgust.

I pulled her to me, holding her close, and hating that we were here…again.

"Let's go. There isn't much time," she said, composing herself.

The rain fell in sheets, masking everything around us as we hurried through the plaza. There was no one we could actually see, but we definitely were not alone. Emmett's head shot up and I followed his glare to the upper levels of the city. There were thought patterns I could pick up, but they all seemed far away or muffled at the moment.

I lifted the hood of my coat over my head and focused on where Bella was leading us. I gripped the holster of the sword on my back, suddenly thankful I had it.

In the distance I could see our sentinels on the very top of the city's structure and could pick up that they had not found anyone either as of yet.

We continued our silent march through the city; the only audible sound was the pounding rain around us.

Bella stopped at the mouth of a long alleyway. "There!" she said, pointing toward it. I could see that there was a door at the end of the alley and went forward first. She grabbed my shirt and shook her head at me. "Not the door," she said.

I turned to look at her not sure what she meant. Bella's eyes looked down as we approached an iron grate above the entrance of the sewer. Emmett made his way to the front and together, we knelt down and ripped off the massive gate. I looked up at the rest of our party and nodded to them as I slipped inside. Bella was right behind me and the others began to follow suit.

We hadn't all made it in yet, when we were confronted by two male vampires who went straight for Bella. She immediately ducked and buried her dagger into the side of one as my sword swept through the air and slit the other's throat. As her attacker fell to his knees, grasping his side, she buried her dagger under his jaw, shoving it up into his head. Two enemies dead before anyone else in our group could react.

"Holy shit!" exclaimed Alexander, one of the vampire's with us. "They fight as if they were both part of the same machine."

"You should see what happens when you piss them off," Emmett said, patting Alexander on the shoulder as he passed him.

Alexander shivered and then fell in step with the rest of us.

"Emmett, behave yourself," I whispered low enough for only him to hear.

"What?" he replied innocently. "A little fear among the troops is healthy. It keeps them from entertaining ideas of mutiny. Plus, it's funny as hell to see a scared vampire."

Bella rolled her eyes and I just shook my head at him.

We continued our way through the tunnel and into the entrance of the catacombs. I could almost sense Esme close-by, but kept losing the trail. Bella seemed more attuned and led us through the east tunnel when they forked.

William and I began to growl simultaneously as we entered a clearing with about twelve vampires blocking our way. The battle began without a word from either side and though it was fierce, we definitely held our own. I made sure to keep my family close, each of us watching the other's back.

William was also a sight to be seen in battle—he was swift and deadly, and Emmett and he fought well together. With everyone in our group working together, we were able to move quickly through this small mob and were soon on our way.

Carlisle moved among us, checking our injuries and making sure we were all able to continue. He confirmed we'd gotten through the battle with no more than a few scratches; much to her annoyance, I had Carlisle check the cut on Bella's calf twice. She retaliated by pointing out the gash on the back of my shoulder that I'd tried to cover with the sword's sheath. The woman was much too observant.

We entered another tunnel that led us to a chamber and the unmistakable scent of my mother hit me like a wall. We were close. We decided that we should split up in this area to cover more ground before we had any more visitors, and my family and William stayed together as the others scattered.

Our new smaller group entered a large cavern and we were immediately confronted by a massive vampire. He was well over 300 pounds and seemed to be a wall of stone-like muscle. He was easily twice the size of Emmett—that, of course, did not stop any of us.

Without a word, we started working together, trying to take out this latest roadblock in our quest to find Esme and Camille. Unfortunately, this beast was a skilled fighter and was not letting us near any possible weak points.

In trying to keep Bella behind me, I hadn't realized that we had entered another chamber until the gate came crashing down. William and I were trapped, alone with this behemoth. The others immediately tried to lift the gate, but it had wedged itself deeply and was proving difficult, even with vampire strength.

"You are finished!" the vampire boasted with a dark laugh.

"Not quite, friend," I replied, kicking him square in the chest.

William went at him from behind, but the vampire sensed him. He elbowed William in the throat hard enough that he fell a few feet away. Not wanting to make the same mistake, I propelled myself against the wall, wanting to use the force to jump on this beast and go for his neck.

I landed on my mark, but only to find myself thrown to the opposite wall. He had flung me like a rag doll, wedging my body into the stone wall that had crumbled around me from the impact.

"Edward!" Bella shouted franticly.

My head automatically turned toward her and I could see the others screaming and trying to get the gate lifted. I also saw more vampires closing in on them. They had their own fight to worry about now, too. I had to act fast.

In my brief distraction, my vampire target had sauntered over to William and was in the process of lifting him up by the neck. He would kill him.

I ran toward him and slammed my leg into the back of his knee—a move I had perfected against Emmett over the years. The behemoth fell on one leg and I wasted no time in wielding my sword and beheading the massive vampire. His body slumped over William and buried him completely.

Working together, we managed to get the body off of William. "Thank you, Edward," he said as I pulled him to his feet.

"Let's get out of here," I replied, turning to see my family kicking ass. They were all with their back to Emmett who was still trying to lift the gate. Between the three of us we managed to get it lifted enough so that we could crawl under and get out.

Once we were free, I killed the female attacking Bella and Alice. This sword was coming in handy, although I could feel that we were running out of time. We needed to get to Esme and Camille fast. We finished off the vampires and continued deeper into the underground.

I could hear Esme's cries in my head before they were audible to the rest of us and I took off running, the others following closely behind me.

Turning into another tunnel, we were met by another group of vampires. Jasper, Emmett, Alice, and Rosalie immediately engaged our latest attackers.

"Edward, go on! Get to mom!" Jasper cried out.

I was left with Bella, Carlisle, and William as we sped through the darkness, moving closer to the sound of Esme's cries.

We reached a small chamber and found Aro chained to the wall with massive metal restraints. "Visitors," Aro chuckled darkly.

I ignored him, searching the gloom for what I had come here for.

In the makeshift cell next to him lay my mother. She was gray and had a large gash on her side. She was in pain and barely realized we were there as Carlisle and I removed her shackles.

"Esme, my love!" Carlisle cried, clutching her against his chest.

I finally turned my attention to Aro, noticing he was also in bad shape. He too had been bled. Roland was further ahead of this game than I gave him credit for.

Aro looked up at me with a glassy stare and his usual creepy smile.

"Where is Camille?" I asked him.

Aro's chin pointed behind me.

I turned at the same time that William's pained cry filled the room. My eyes landed on the reason for his anguish and I fell to my knees at the horror before me. Camille had been beheaded and her naked body had been left to rot.

Bella darted past me, wrapping her arms around William and cradling him as he sobbed and wailed.

I turned away from the scene, not able to watch, and found myself looking at Aro's smile once again.

He opened his mouth and took a gravely breath. "Had you come when I summoned you, none of this would have happened," he gloated as spittle dripped from his mouth.

A growl from deep within me arose.

Aro only chuckled. "How long I have waited to have you kneel before me, Edward."

"Glad I could grant your dying wish then," I growled, taking my sword and impaling him. He gave out a wounded cry and I jerked the sword upward, cleaving him in half. I found that I took pleasure in taking his life; I had no reverence left for the ancients of my kind.

Standing there, staring at what remained of Aro, my anger subsided some, letting in the sounds of my family behind me.

Carlisle had forced Esme to feed from him and she was able to sit up, though still very weak.

I rushed over to them, touching Esme gently. "Are you alright?" I asked.

"Yes, I think so," she croaked. Her eyes widened as her mind became more alert. "Oh. I'm sorry! Camille!" she screamed.

"Shhhh, it's alright, Sweetheart," Carlisle cooed, cradling her against him.

I kissed her cheek and went to William who was on all fours as if he would heave. Bella had a hand on his back, trying to comfort the broken man before her.

I took Bella in my arms and turned her away from the horrific scene. "Go to Esme," I begged. Bella nodded, her body slightly shaking my arms. She brushed her lips against my cheek and then went over to Carlisle and Esme.

I crouched in front of William and put my hands on his shoulders, wanting him to see me and not the horror just a few feet away. This man would be out for vengeance, and rightfully so. "William, I…I am so sorry," I whispered as he continued to sob tearlessly. "I wish I could allow you your grief right now, but we must finish this."

He became still as a statue, except for his slowly rising head. His ruby eyes locked on mine and I could almost see the anger inside of him as a tangible thing. "Roland is mine," he said ferociously.

I nodded and looked past him to see if the others were ready with Esme. Once she was safely out of here, we would cleanse this place, doing away with any vampire left who had been a part of this.

We met up with the rest of our party along the way, each of them expressing the horror they felt at the news of Camille's death. William remained silent as we progressed through the catacombs, even blocking his thoughts.

We met no more enemies beneath the city and eventually there was nowhere left to go but up. While we stopped to discuss strategy for fighting above, I made arrangements for a vampire named Michael to retrieve Camille's remains and keep them safe until we could come for them—she deserved a proper burial.

With everyone ready for more fighting, we walked through the entrance to the upper level and found that night had fallen. I led our group into the grand hall of the main living quarters.

I finally picked up a new set of thoughts, but before I could say anything, William was pushing his way through our group. "He is alone in the main room just ahead," William said sternly. He reached me, his entire body trembling with his barely suppressed rage. "I go alone, Edward."

I nodded, understanding his wishes. "We will stand guard and do away with whoever's left," I assured him.

"Thank you," he said. "All of you."

With that he turned and made for the wide double doors. Watching him stalk off, I wasn't sure that I would see William again, but I knew that he had to do this on his own.

William slammed his fists into the double doors, sending them flying into the room ahead of him. Before the last wood splinters hit the floor, he was engaged in a heated battle with Roland. Their only weapons where their hands, teeth, and feet, and it was a battle nearly as bloody as what I'd seen with the newborn army.

Driven by pain and anguish, and skilled with centuries of fighting knowledge, William ultimately destroyed Roland, ripping his head from his neck, using his teeth and hands to manage it.

With the battle over, my family sat outside the room, processing everything that had happened. I could sense that William needed to be alone, and I kept the others from stepping inside. The man had just lost his wife; I couldn't imagine the state I would be in his place.

I sat against the wall, my hands in my hair as I watched Carlisle and Esme speak in loving whispers. I glanced over to Bella, who up to a few moments before was sitting next to me, but now was wandering off to my left.

I called out to her in thought. "_Bella, stay close_," I pleaded.

"Can you hear that?" she replied in a whisper.

"Hear what?"

"There are people in that direction," she said, pointing toward a narrow staircase that seemed to lead to a basement of some sort.

"Alice, Jasper, stay here with Carlisle and Esme, please," I said, getting to my feet.

Rose and Emmett followed Bella and I down into the room below. We walked carefully, although we could see clearly in the dark. We knew better than to underestimate this place or anyone who might be lurking in it.

The room narrowed and we followed Bella towards what seemed to be a large steel door. I could hear the voices clearly now; humans, crying and whispering.

Emmett and I pulled at the door's massive locks, bending them so that they would snap open. Rosalie let out a small gasp once the door came open as she was the closest. There were at least a hundred people jammed into the immense space. They seemed terrified at the sight of us—a few even screaming out.

"We are not here to hurt you. We are here to set you free," I said as calmly as I could.

There were small children huddled into a corner and Bella approached them carefully. "Come with me, quickly. We must get you all to safety," she said to them.

"The man, Roland, keeps us here to feed on. We have been here for months!" an older lady stated in broken English.

"We are not like him, or any of the others. We do not feed on humans," I assured her, holding my hands palm out as a sign of peace. "I promise you, Ma'am, we are here to set you all free, but we shouldn't delay. Come this way," I coaxed, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Emmett and Rose lifted a few of the captives that could no longer walk while Bella rounded up the children and helped them up the stairs. In a short time we had them all outside where our sentinels helped get them back to safety.

Once the last of them was out, I made sure to get Esme and Carlisle to the trucks. Esme needed time to heal and my father needed to be at her side.

Bella and I went back into the building once again, this time to see to William. As we turned into the hallway, the smell of burning flesh overwhelmed our senses. We approached the opening to the room cautiously.

"William?" I called. I caught sight of a large pile of ashes near the back of the room. He had set Roland ablaze. I supposed he was merciful considering the circumstances.

William sat in a large chair on the opposite side of the room, looking like I had never seen him. He was distraught and despondent, and Bella and I moved slowly toward him, not wanting to startle him.

"William, let's get out of here," I said gently, reaching for his arm.

In a surprising move, he allowed me to half-carry him as I lifted him from the chair. Bella went to the other side of him, slipping his arm over her slender shoulders. No words were needed to feel the depth of his agony as he walked between us.

We made it outside and I heard William whisper my name. "Edward, we must destroy the catacombs," he croaked.

"Yes, we must seal them off," I agreed. "I have made sure that Camille has been moved to safety," I said carefully, not sure how he would react to anything at this point.

"Thank you, my friend," he said, softly, his eyes still on the ground before him.

With William safely stowed in the truck with Esme and Carlisle, I rallied the rest of our party to help me with one final mission. Aro's catacombs were horrific and needed to be destroyed.

After a short search of the building, we were able to find their weaponry and enough explosives to accomplish our tasks. We made one more trip into the disgusting tunnels beneath the city, setting charges that would collapse the catacombs without destroying the city completely.

The explosions went off, one behind the other, sending puffs of gray smoke up through the city's grates. A quick inspection verified that we had managed to seal off the entire nightmarish lair.

A round of applause and congratulations circulated through the group, but I didn't join in. Too much had been lost, and a perfectly innocent woman had been murdered. We might have won the battle, but we'd still been too late.

Our family pulled away from the crowd and we returned to Carlisle and Esme. She explained how she and Camille had to convince Roland to deal with them first before hurting any of the humans. They had bought the humans time at the expense of their own safety.

William had slipped away while we were destroying the catacombs and he rejoined us now, having spoken with some of the townspeople. "They want to memorialize Camille and honor Esme. They would like for us to stay for a service tomorrow morning. They are grateful and offer their services to us and their allegiance to you, Edward," he said.

"What?" I asked, wanting to make sure I had heard him correctly.

"Edward, they feel that you have saved them and have restored their belief that vampires and humans could live amongst one another. You have restored their city from the dark days of Aro's reign," William explained.

Bella sensed the reaction that was boiling inside of me and placed a hand on mine. "Let's get out of here. We can discuss this later," she said.

This should have been our wedding day and instead had been the longest, darkest day we had ever had. She was right that we needed to get out of this place for now, but we would stay close by to honor Camille in the morning.

As we speed through the countryside, heading for a safe place to spend the night, I longed for sleep once again—for just a brief respite.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: **Thank you all for patiently waiting for this next installment. I am thrilled to announce that "The Lion and Lamb Fanfiction Awards" have nominated "Primal Desires" for best "Vampire Bella" fanfic. We hope that you can take a moment and vote for us! Also _My-Bella's_ "Our Little Man" is also nominated under the "Best AU" category!

The link for voting is on my profile page....check it out!!!!

We are very excited and hope that you will take a sec to vote! Enjoy this next chapter, more is on the way soon!

Cheers,

VBR

* * *

The sun was rising on Voltera and I scarcely believed that we were actually here.

It had been almost four days since our arrival and the air still had a peculiar scent caused by the demolition of the catacombs. We were staying in a villa, just outside the city, that belonged to a good friend of William's who was abroad at the moment.

Bella and the rest of the family were currently outside discussing the events that had occurred since our arrival. Our scouts had informed us that the vampires that remained in Voltera were on our side and were waiting to hear from me. It seemed they were hesitant to leave without knowing what our stance was with the vampire world at large. We had taken down the most powerful lair in existence and had done away with their leader—they now wanted direction.

I leaned over the veranda, watching the city awake. My thumb was absent-mindedly rubbing the ring Esme had given me as I thought back to the moment I had found Aro, and his last moments. Even until the very end he had wanted me to come to his side. He had wanted to have power over everything and everyone. And I had taken pleasure in killing him and setting him and his cronies ablaze before we'd set off the dynamite in the underground. I wondered if those actions would make me a monster in the eyes of some.

My thoughts moved on to William. I thought of the staggering pain that he was enduring without his other half. At the moment, he was deep in the heart of the Citadel of Voltera tending to Camille's body. She had been beheaded and for a vampire this can mean a temporary death unless we are burned; in which case that state becomes very permanent. While we can regenerate ourselves, it is not as simple as it sounds. The act of putting oneself together again is a violent and almost always gruesome task. But with a beheading, there was no guarantee that the vampire would come back as he or she was before, if at all. Still, William was not going to give up without exhausting every chance he had to bring back his love. He'd placed Camille in a mixture of soil and fresh blood, a concoction that the ancients believed would help aid and expedite healing. There was nothing more for William to do but wait.

As for Esme, she was finally back to her full strength. She was currently going over how Roland had surprised her and Camille when they'd exited their car. He and a group of about four others had overpowered both of them. I had walked away as she retold her story again for fear that I would lose control. The rest of the family wanted to go over every detail to make sure that we hadn't missed anything or anyone else that may be held responsible for this. My mother's thoughts reassured me that she understood my leaving her side, and that she would be speaking to me privately at some point.

I looked out to the city before me, working to keep their conversation blocked as much as possible. As much as I wanted to hate this place and everything about it, I found myself considering the view beautiful…even haunting in a way. There were cypress trees everywhere and the soil was a beautiful burnt orange. It was the sort of beauty that you saw in a postcard and your heart immediately called out for it, wanting you to go there and experience it properly.

There was so much history here, but Aro had made it a place most humans and even some vampires feared and loathed. He'd treated the humans that made their homes here as nothing more than slaves and an easy food source. Could Voltera ever be restored to its ancient beauty and purpose?

No, we couldn't let Aro stain its history. We had to make sure that Voltera survived and thrived. If not for our own benefit, we had to do it for the future of the humans that lived here. We at least owed them that, and as much as I didn't want it, I felt obligated to set things right. If my family was an example of nothing else, it was self-control. Not every vampire shared our views, or our diet, but that did not mean that they could not control themselves. There must be a way to teach them to live in harmony with the humans here and restore Voltera to a place of true beauty again.

As I processed these thoughts, I realized that, as usual, the things I struggled to resist still happened anyway. I didn't _want_ to fall in love or turn Bella, but that had happened. I surely did not _want_ my family separated and well, we all knew how that had turned out. And now here I was, after weeks of not _wanting_ to deal with the issues in Voltera, I found myself right in the middle of it all—with Aro's blood on my hands, no less. I wondered if I had just made myself an even bigger target for retaliation; that would remain to be seen.

I felt the conversation downstairs turn to lighter matters and I made my way back downstairs to my family. They were sitting out back on the patio furniture chatting.

Bella rose and walked over to me. "Are you alright?" she asked concerned. She knew my thoughts, but loved me enough to ask.

"Of course, I'm fine. I just needed to process some things is all," I replied.

I turned to my mother and knelt before her. She looked down at me and gave me the warm smile only a mother could give. I hugged her as tightly as I could. Since she had spent the last few days resting with Carlisle, we had not had a moment alone and I felt my walls crumble. We had come so close to losing her—our family would never have been the same without its matriarch.

Esme wrapped her arms around me and kissed the top of my head. "Thank you, my son. For all that you do and endure for us," she whispered into my hair.

I held on for a moment longer and then kissed each of her cheeks, thankful for her well being.

"We should go back to the main house and check on William," Bella suggested as she stood behind me.

"Yes, we should look through the house to see if there is anything else we need to get rid of, but I think we should leave William alone for a bit longer," Carlisle stated.

I nodded and took Bella's hand. "Are the people of the town still wanting to have a service for her?" I asked.

"According to Michael and the others they do but they of course, are not aware of the healing process," Jasper replied.

"They will be filled in soon enough, I'm sure," Carlisle said. He stood up, taking Esme's hand, and began moving toward the front door with her.

Bella came to my side and my arm instinctively wrapped around her waist as we walked down the gravel road to the main city. Most of the humans in this small town knew what we were and why we were here, so there was no need to hide ourselves. The sun was bright and our skin sparkled in reply to its rays—we were all enjoying the warmth on our normally frigid skin and were all smiling despite the situation.

We walked together at a leisurely pace, taking in the beauty all around us. It was like seeing this city for the very first time. Without fearing what Aro might have in store, we were able to enjoy the sights of Voltera—the stone used to build everything here, the architectural details in the structures, the few gardens that surrounded some of the larger homes. The people of the town were for the most part friendly and not overly surprised at our sparkling skin. If anything they seemed cheerful through their somewhat reluctant glances at us. They were beginning to understand we were not a danger to them as Aro and the others had been.

The main house, Palazzo dei Priori, was massive and stately. We'd been told that Aro had used this residence seldomly, preferring another home in the south, so we weren't sure we would find much. The home was said to have many of his papers and priceless works of art, but of course this whole town was his playground.

We reached the semi circle of stairs and the sight of two stone lions on either side of the door made Bella grip my hand tighter. My attention was on the two vampires standing guard outside the large doors. I greeted them with a nod and they did the same.

"Why are you here?" I asked, surprised by how clear their minds were to me. They were hiding nothing.

"We have made sure that no one has come inside in your absence, Edward," the one on the left replied respectfully.

"Well thank you for that. We wish to look around now," I said curtly, annoyed with their thoughts of how I would tell them what they should do next. I was _not_ their boss.

But no one had told them that so they immediately moved aside and allowed my family to enter the massive building.

The house was palatial and yet somehow warm and inviting; nothing at all like what I would have envisioned for one as sadistic as Aro. We agreed to split up and look around while Carlisle and Esme had decided to check on William and Camille in the building across the way.

Bella and I went up the long staircase and entered what appeared to be a study. It was stocked with hundreds of books and scrolls. The high-backed chairs scattered throughout added to the ambience of this room. They probably also added to the musky smell. Bella opened up the windows, letting in a fresh morning breeze that immediately made it easier to handle the staleness of the room. She leaned into the window, looking down at the Piazza below; the town was alive now with the sounds of its people chattering.

I slid one of the books from the shelf, surprised at its great condition. I skimmed through the volume a little before putting it back in its place. "I like the feel of this room," I mentioned to Bella, trailing my fingers across a few of the book spines closest to me.

She came away from the window and took a long look around the room. "With the sun filling it up this way, it's incredibly beautiful. There's a sense of history in here."

We spent a few more minutes in the room before continuing on our exploration of the second floor. We took our time, admiring all of the paintings and sculptures that adorned the halls.

"Bella, let's go up here," I said, taking her hand and making our way up another flight of stairs. These stairs seemed to be incased in a tower of some sort and the windows that lined the walls gave differing views of the Piazza.

We reached the end of the stairs and were in awe of how opulent the décor was in the short hallway—it seemed more like a lobby than a hallway though since there was only one door in front of us. Bella pushed the mahogany door open and we found ourselves in a bedroom that was all blue and white. Everything in the room was antique and completely beautiful.

"Aro might have been a total creep, but he had good taste and new how to care for antiques," Bella mentioned, running her finger along the top of the antique white dresser she stood near.

"Yes, his lack of morals clearly had no influence on his taste in furniture. I'd half expected to find coffins, cobwebs and a moat," I joked.

"Nice," Bella snorted.

I sat at the foot of the bed and watched her cross the room to the antique vanity near the window. She opened a jewelry box sitting there and soft music filled the room.

Bella turned to smile at me. "Did you notice the lions at the door, Edward?" she asked.

"Yes, I did. I can't help but feel that fate has brought us here in light of recent weeks, and this whole experience seems like a dream. I still can't believe that we are here instead of being off on our honeymoon. I am so sorry, my love," I said woefully.

She walked over and sat next to me on the bed. "Edward, of course I'm a little disappointed that things didn't go as planned, but really I'm sort of relieved in a way.

I mean, what happened to Camille and Esme is awful, but at least the looming sense of danger is gone. Don't you feel it?" she asked taking my hand.

"Relief, yes, of course," I replied.

"Not just relief, Edward, but _peace_," she corrected. "It's over."

I took her hand and followed the lines on her palm with my finger. "I promise we will have our wedding as soon as we get back home." I lifted her hand, kissing the palm and smiling against her skin. "You'll be the most beautiful bride ever."

"We will have our time, but we have to finish things here first," she said smiling at me.

"I know. I can't avoid this anymore. I know that now," I said, getting up and smoothing my hands over my jeans. "Well, shall we keep looking around?" I asked, turning to take her hand. No sooner than the words had left my mouth, I sensed a presence coming. I lifted Bella up and slid her behind me, waiting for the intruding thoughts to clear and tell me who was coming.

Bella's hand gripped my shoulder as we realized who was coming. "It's William," she said happily. We hadn't seen much of him since he'd taken Camille to heal.

We quickly left the room, worried by the frantic pulsing of his thoughts, and met William on the stairs.

"There you two are!" he exclaimed gleefully. The sun streaming through one of the small square windows hit his face, making him sparkle in the stairwell. "Camille has come to!" he said excitedly.

"Oh, that's wonderful!" Bella said hugging him.

"Yes, she is with your father now and he thinks she will be fine," William said, smiling and running his hands through his hair. If our kind were capable of sleeping, William would be more than ready for a very long rest after all he'd endured in the past few days.

"If Carlisle thinks she'll be fine, then she will be," I said, hoping to reassure him.

"Yes, of course she will be." William smiled wider and nodded his head in agreement. "If you both have a moment, I would very much like to speak with you," he stated.

"Yes, of course." I said. We followed him down the stairs and onto the second floor where the study we'd been in earlier was at.

"Let's sit in here," William said, motioning over to the room at the end of the hall.

It was a sitting room adorned with a beautiful fireplace and large sofas on either end. A grand piano sat as the centerpiece of the room, its shiny black surface reflected sunlight across the walls and ceiling, much like our skin could do.

William led us to the far end of the room near a big bay window. We each took a seat and waited for William to begin. He sat at the edge of his seat as he faced us.

"First, I wanted to thank you both—well, all of you really. You have done what no one else could do in all these long years," he stated, interlacing his fingers as he leaned forward. "I also want to apologize to you. You have all been through so much already and I feel somehow at fault for bringing more on for your family. I should have seen the signs with Roland."

"William, this is no one's fault," I replied. "They would have come for us one by one anyway. But those days are over. If I have to live eternity fighting this sort of thing, then I will. I want my family and friends to be safe and live in peace. I won't tolerate anyone threatening that anymore. It is _I _who will come for them now," I finished.

"We will _all_ come for them. We will keep the peace together," Bella added, sliding her arm in mine.

William smiled and nodded. "The others are still in awe of the both of you by the way," he mused. "They have never seen two vampire mates work as one the way you two did under the city. They will look to you for leadership and guidance Edward. You are needed in this capacity more than you realize. While vampires can be fickle, they value their quality of life. Most, especially the older vampires are used to having standards and hierarchy. You have set the bar in a way they have never seen. You do not lead through fear, but through respect and through your actions. For much too long, they were treated like cattle or pawns. You have changed all of that."

"William, I have no desire to lead _anyone_, but if it falls on my shoulders then all I ask is that we live in peace. We have to have a balance. While I understand feeding on humans is necessary for some, they must use discretion. I don't want the people of Voltera living in fear for their lives. Killing off groups of innocent humans to feast on is unacceptable," I replied leaning back in my chair.

"I agree, and I think that tonight you must address the rest of us. They must hear it from you. We can meet at the Citadel tonight. I hope that Camille can join us," he said, his eyes smiling.

"We'll be there," I told him, nodding and taking Bella's hand.

William stood and we followed suit. "I should be getting back to Camille now. I will alert the others about tonight." He offered his hand to Bella and she gently took it. "Thank you both again, for everything," he said softly before leaving the room.

Bella and I stood there, feeling how deeply shaken he was over Camille. It was of course a relief to know that she would be okay.

"Shall we continue our tour?" I asked Bella, caressing her face.

"Yes, and I also think we should consider something else, Edward," she replied, a coy smile on her lips.

"What's that, Love?"

"Follow me," she said, taking my hand and leading me out onto the balcony in the room. There was a magnificent view of the city and beyond. Bella turned her eyes on me, an intensity I'd rarely seen burning in her golden eyes. "Edward, I think we should consider having our wedding here."

"What? Bella, _no_. Everything is ready back at the Manor," I replied, baffled by this strange request of hers.

"We can have one there as well. But think about it, for so long this place has been subject to horrible things. Why not celebrate Voltera's new-found peace with a wedding?" Her words were laced with such sweetness and hope that my arms wrapped around her.

"You know when you put it that way, it doesn't sound so bad. But then you could convince me to do almost anything, Bella. Unfortunately, this isn't one of those things. I'm sorry," I replied, kissing the tip of her nose and her soft lips.

"Well at least consider it?" she pleaded.

"I will agree to this on one condition," I stated, a smile lighting up my face.

"Yes?" she asked, her eyes narrowing.

"We _only_ have a celebratory party here and you and I have to go away for one whole month. I want you to myself damnit!" I said playfully, causing her to giggle. "We can celebrate Voltera's new beginning and our impending wedding, but I want to marry you in our home, in our garden, among the roses you cared for…_Home_, Bella," I finished, pressing my forehead to hers and leaning in to kiss her lips.

"Bacio!" we heard from down in the Piazza. "Bacio!"

Bella and I looked down and saw a small group of people watching us. They waved up to us and kept shouting, "Bacio, Bacio!"

"What are they saying?" Bella asked as she waived back to them.

"They want us to kiss," I explained, holding her even closer.

"Well I suppose we shouldn't disappoint them," Bella replied breathily, kissing me softly at first. Her arms wrapped around my neck and I lifted her up, twirling her around and causing an eruption of cheering and whistling from below.

Bella and I laughed as we waived off the people below and entered the house once more. "This city is so beautiful and romantic! A celebration here would be so amazing," she mused, twisting her hair up into a ponytail.

"Before we go any further with this, maybe we should also discuss this with the family. Especially a little 'pixie' that might lose her mind over having to plan another celebration," I added, leading Bella out of the room.

We spent the next few hours going through the house and found nothing that should be discarded; nothing else in this house seemed to be malevolent. We were on the ground floor now where Bella had discovered a massive garden out back. I knew just by the look on her face that our festivities would be held right in this spot.

I went to her and kissed the back of her head. "Yes, my love, I agree. This is perfect," I whispered.

The path ahead was paved with large flat stones and there didn't seem to be a spot that wasn't filled with flowers, vines or topiaries. A large pool was the centerpiece and the pristine water carried various lily pads. It really was lovely and very quiet.

"Wow!" Rose exclaimed from behind me as the rest of our family joined us.

"The celebration will be beyond amazing here you guys!" Alice added, seeming very pleased with our decision.

"A wedding party…here?" Emmett asked surprised.

"Oh, that would be lovely!" Esme replied, taking Bella's hands and leading her over to the pool to check it out.

"Not just a wedding reception here, but a celebration of Voltera," I said.

"Well don't you two have it backwards? Shouldn't the reception be after you actually get married?" Rose asked.

"Call it what you like, we just think it would be nice to include the vampires here in our celebration, "Bella stated. "An act of good will, don't you think?"

"Already acting like a 'first lady'," Rose joked. "Yes, I think that would be a good idea. This city needs a little peace and happiness."

"Are you two really sure about this? What about everything that we arranged back home?" Jasper questioned.

"We're still getting married at home," I replied. "It must be there. But I did agree that having some sort of celebration here will let everyone know we are all on the same side."

Carlisle joined us, a broad smile on his face as he approached me. I eyed him cautiously, knowing that something was on his mind.

"What?" I asked him, reciprocating his grin.

"Nothing. I am just looking out at my family. I am so thankful that we are all together again," he said, smiling past me at Esme. "A celebration here would be the perfect catalyst for a new beginning and I am sure there are many here who would attend," he added.

"Then it's settled. Bella and I will have our wedding at home, but kick off the celebrations here. We may end up celebrating in every city we go to!" I said, laughing softly as I reached Bella and wrapped my arms around her.

By nightfall, we had visited various buildings and monuments in the city truly marveling at how beautiful everything was. We decided to go to the Citadel and visit with William and Camille before addressing the other vampires.

The building was massive and every bit a fortress. We were greeted by a vampire name Demetrius. He was tall and regal looking, standing head and shoulders above Emmett.

"Welcome Cullen cla—family," he stated, nodding his head. "William has asked that you join him upstairs before the meeting."

"Thank you," I said, scanning the foyer as a few other vampires came to greet us. They all seemed cautious of us, but also very curious. It was obvious that they were arriving and waiting for us.

We said our "hello's" as we made our way up the massive staircase. The mood in this building was definitely solemn, with a sense of reverence for Camille's state. The great hall was lit with candles on sconces on either side of the wall.

We walked silently toward the room at the end of the corridor. The door was slightly ajar and the warm glow of candlelight with _Beethoven's Symphony No. 7 Allegretto_ playing made the approach inviting and ethereal.

William met us at the door of the room embracing Carlisle and Esme. "I am so glad to see all of you again," he said cheerfully.

"How is she?" Esme asked.

"She has fed and is up and about. She is almost as good as new. Her throat is sore and her voice a bit hoarse, but she seems to be fine otherwise. Her memory is in tact and she is as beautiful as ever," he mused, obviously madly in love with this woman.

"Can we see her?" Alice asked.

"Of course, she has been waiting for you all to come see her," William replied, standing aside and letting us in.

Esme entered first. "Oh, Camille!" she gasped and went to her excitedly.

We followed her in and were just as elated. Camille was like a vision; a very pale, alabaster skinned, vision. Her lips were a bright red and her eyes dark as night. She smiled and the room became alive. Her dress was lavender with a high collar, to help conceal the scarring that would be gone soon enough. Her dark hair draped over her bare shoulders and framed her stunning face. She looked beautiful and fragile all at once.

She reached out for Esme and embraced her lovingly, speaking in a soft raspy voice. "Oh, my dear friends! How I have missed you all! I thought we were lost to one another forever."

We each took our turns greeting her and I was the last to approach. I took her hand and kissed it, smiling a hello.

"Edward, thank you for helping my husband. I am elated with your decision to take the helm here in Voltera," she half-whispered.

"I am only happy that we are all safe and together again. The rest will fall into place," I replied, smiling at the family I had "almost" lost time and time again.

"Edward, are you ready for tonight?" William asked, walking over to me and placing a hand on my shoulder.

"Yes, I am. There is also one more thing we need to tell you and Camille," I started.

William furrowed his brow as Camille came to his side. "Yes?" he asked waiting for my reply.

"Bella and I have decided to have a wedding reception here before we return home for the actual ceremony," I said as Bella slipped her hand in mine. "We would like to have this also be a celebration of the new Voltera," I added.

Camille's face lit up and she immediately embraced us both.

"That is a splendid idea!" William said, clapping his hands together then shaking my free hand.

"We can make the preparations and have it tomorrow night," Alice added excitedly. "The garden in the main house would be perfect."

We all sat together and chatted about the celebration. The room was happy and there seemed to be an electric undercurrent that did not go without my noticing. We were together again, and whenever we were, there was power. Good things came from our family binding together to take something on; we now considered William and Camille family as well and knew that they would be a permanent part of our lives now.

The knock at the door interrupted my train of thought and we all turned to see who it was.

Demetrius stood in the doorway, seeming to extinguish all light behind him with his massive frame. "Excuse the intrusion, Edward, but we are all assembled below now and are ready for you," he stated in his deep voice.

"We will be right there then. Thank you, Demetrius," I replied.

He left the room while we all stood and regrouped.

"Well, let's get this done with. I am sure they are all eager to see Camille as well," I said.

With Bella at my side, we made our way back downstairs. The others were gathered in a massive room to the right of the main entrance. This room had definitely been used for this sort of thing in the past.

There were roughly one hundred vampires in attendance, and I instinctively scanned the room, sensing Alice and Jasper doing the same. Although we were gathered here in peace, we could never be too careful.

Thankfully, our fears seemed to be unwarranted as everyone here was welcoming and peaceful—not unlike when we had first arrived at William's ball. We entered the room as one unit; I led the way with my family in the middle while William and Camille brought up the rear. The entire room stood and faced us as we made our way to the other side of the room where chairs were set up for us. You could hear a pin drop as we each took our place and courteously nodded at Demetrius who stood before us.

William did not sit, but rather stood before the crowd. "Friends, thank you for coming tonight. I am pleased to show you all that my beloved Camille has made a complete recovery."

His words were met with applause and cheers, and Camille smiled at the crowd.

With a slight raise of his hands, the room stilled. "I am also pleased to tell you all that the winds of change are upon us. As you all know, Aro and his reign are no longer. In its place is something much more powerful, Edward Cullen and his family," he said. Once again, the room erupted in applause.

William motioned to me and I stepped forward, still not quite sure of what I would say. Bella's thoughts filled my mind for the briefest of seconds, but it was more than enough to calm me. _"You'll do fine. Just speak from your heart."_

I nodded just enough for her to see and then addressed the crowd. "Thank you all for coming tonight. I am sure you are eager to get back to your lives. We are grateful for the hospitality the citizen's of Voltera have shown us, and the assistance you have all provided with cleaning up after the confrontation that occurred. We are also very grateful for the protection you have offered Camille and William during her recuperation. That being said, I hope that going forward we can continue to be this cohesive and cooperative with one another. Gone are the days of Aro and his minions trying to sway any of us to follow his rule and join his ranks. The days of living in fear that our loved ones will be taken if we do not cooperate are gone forever." The cheers from the crowd grew louder and I was forced to wait for them to die down.

"I have been asked to take Aro's place as leader and I must say, the notion is surreal to me," I said honestly. "I have never thought myself a leader. My family and I have been through more than we ever thought we could bare, most of it at the hands of those who we confronted here on the eve of our arrival, and back in Forks where Bella was turned. We have been hunted and sought after, and still lived to see another day. We have in turn become the hunters and I can tell you with the utmost certainty that there isn't a force out there that my family cannot face and conquer. With that same focus, we look to you all and hope that you will stand with us in keeping order and peace amongst us. We hope you will help us restore Voltera and live parallel to the humans here. I ask you to use discretion, here and wherever it is you come from. We are not protected as carefully elsewhere as we are here, and we must find the balance between our lives and the humans around us.

"Now on to happier matters…As some of you may know, Bella and I are to be married. We would be honored if you would all join us tomorrow night at the Piazza de Priori gardens in celebration of our impending nuptials."

The crowd applauded yet again and their thoughts filled my mind. The consensus seemed to be that they were surprised that all we wanted was to live in peace. They were also curious to spend more time with my family. We were definitely not what they expected. Many vampires approached Bella and I, confirming that they would be in attendance tomorrow. The crowd somewhat dispersed once I was done and we spent the rest of the evening speaking with Camille and making a few new acquaintances.

The walk back to our Villa was moonlit. We were all relieved that the meeting had gone well and that it was over. Tomorrow would be our last day in Voltera and I personally couldn't wait to get back home. I smiled at that thought and held Bella close as we stared up at the night sky, seemingly walking towards our future.


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note:** Hello everyone! As this story is winding down, I want to say that writing this has been alot of fun. I am happy that you all have enjoyed it and grateful to My-Bella for her help and support. This chapter is a bit of a LEMON so do try to keep the volume of swooning and shrieking to a minimum. I have re-read it a countless times and still melt. LOL

Please remember to vote for us on "The Lion and Lamb Fanfiction Awards". They have nominated "Primal Desires" for best "Vampire Bella" fanfic. We hope that you can take a moment and vote for us!

Also _My-Bella's_ "Our Little Man" is also nominated under the "Best AU" category!

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I had been sitting downstairs for about an hour now, waiting for Bella. Our guests were set to arrive within the hour and everything was in place. Alice was fluttering around the house and garden, assuring that every detail was perfect. From where I sat, I could see the garden through the window and smiled at my sister as she went about her business.

Everything was donned in white; white tablecloths, white roses, white cala lilies, white candles, white twinkle lights in the trees. Alice had said that the theme was "purity", making it a reflection of the love between Bella and me. It was also representative of Volterra's new beginning and how it was starting from a pure place. Alice was right, of course, but I couldn't help but squirm at how cheesy she could be. None the less, the place looked amazing.

Rose and Emmett came down the stairs drawing my attention. "Good evening, Rose," I said as she sat in the chaise next to mine.

"Hey, Edward," she replied, kissing my cheek. "You look absolutely dapper."

"Do I? Thanks," I said smiling at her. "You look pretty, too," I added, smiling wider as Rose flipped her hair with a toothy grin on her face.

"Why thank you, Ed—" she began before I quickly interrupted her.

"I meant Emmett," I said as I laughed, with Emmett quickly joining in.

Rose's eyes narrowed and she smacked my arm. "You two are insufferable!" she shouted, storming off nearly running Jasper and Carlisle down as she headed out.

"Oh come on, Rosie! I was kidding! You look beautiful!" I called after her as Emmett rolled his eyes at me. It was very effective since he was still laughing as well.

"You love getting under her skin, bro," Emmett chuckled. "Shouldn't _I _be the one upset, though?"

"I won't ask," Carlisle said, shaking his head as he smiled in the direction Rose had stomped off toward. He took a seat, his thoughts clearly stating his desire to not get involved.

"Wow, Alice can truly transform any place into a fairyland," Jasper mused as he stood at the window, watching her light some candles.

"Every time I think she has outdone herself, I'm proven wrong," Carlisle added, watching her as well.

Emmett moved to Rose's vacated seat and lightly kicked my chair. "Hey, Ed, you did really great yesterday," he said suddenly.

"Oh, thanks," I replied, a little surprised by his serious manner.

"You know we are always on your side, but last night you did us proud, man," he continued.

"Where is this coming from Emmett?" I asked, curious at his sudden focus on last night.

Emmett looked at Jasper in a plea to help him articulate.

"He means that we always knew that you were meant to do this," Jasper explained. "Well not exactly _this _per se, but we knew that you would always lead us. Which is why we are always willing to go to any length for you, aside from the fact that we love you, of course. You just needed to find your 'north'," he added, smiling at me.

"You think that Volterra is my '_north_'?" I asked. "I am not staying here permanently if that's what you mean," I said, running my hands though my hair, uncomfortable with the thought of not going back home to the Manor. It was my home with Bella; the place where we had healed and grown closer, and I wasn't ready to leave it yet.

"No, brother, what I meant was that Bella has given you direction and now this '_role_' if you will, has given you purpose. With all of us working together we can finally live in peace and not worry about Italy or Aro. It's quite liberating," Jasper said, adjusting his tie. "Unlike this," he joked, gently loosening it a bit.

"Yes, we can actually look forward to coming here on holiday now," Carlisle added.

"It is a good feeling to—" My words were cut short as Bella caught my eye. She was just outside the door with her back to me, speaking softly to Esme. All coherent thought escaped me at the sight of her. She wore a black satin floor length gown that looked as if night itself had poured over her creamy skin. As if that wasn't enough, the top of the dress was a halter style, leaving her back completely exposed, right along with my longing for her. _Stunning_…that was really the only word to describe her.

Bella must have heard my thoughts because she turned to send a smile over her shoulder. The movement of her head caused her hair to drape over her back and sent her irresistible perfume in my direction, throwing me completely over the edge.

I was behind her in seconds, leaving my brothers and father to joke at my expense about self control. My arms wrapped around her waist, drawing her body tightly against mine. "You look exquisite, Isabella," I whispered, kissing her neck as her hand reached into my hair.

"You look pretty amazing yourself," she replied, seeming satisfied with my response.

"Now, now, children! Don't get too carried away. Our guests are almost here," Esme playfully chided as she walked into the den to join Carlisle and the others.

"We may have to let everyone else celebrate and head off to our honeymoon right now," I teased.

"Oh, I don't think so, Mr. Cullen. You have to make an honest woman out of me first," she retorted, turning to wrap her arms around my neck.

"Don't mess with me, woman. I will have us married in this hallway this very second,"

I half-growled into her hair.

"You were right about getting married back at the Manor though," she said, smiling sweetly. "It feels right there. It's _home_." Before I could respond, her lips were on mine, kissing me passionately and sending me reeling.

After a few moments our lips parted slightly and I took that as my opportunity to reply. "No, honey, _this_ is home," I whispered, kissing her softly again and again. Any place where Bella was in my arms would always be my home.

The doorbell rang, interrupting my roaming hands and our moment. I turned to see Carlisle and Esme at the door greeting Camille and William. There were a few others behind them and I knew that the procession would begin soon and I would not get a quiet moment with Bella for a while.

"We aren't finished here," I said firmly, turning us to face our guests and sliding my hand down her bare back. Her soft moan was the only reply I needed to know that she agreed, but it was still nice to hear in her thoughts how much she wanted to finish things later on.

It certainly didn't take long for the house to fill with our guests; it seemed they were all anxious to find out more about our family and to celebrate the impending wedding with Bella and me.

Alice had thought of everything, as usual, and had turned a ballroom on the other side of the house into an area for more seating. She had even hired two small orchestras; one for the ballroom and one for the garden.

Bella and I floated through the crowd in the ballroom, meeting many new people. There were a few that seemed a little shady, but their thoughts were completely benign. These were vampires after all and I had a hard time letting my guard down.

I was speaking with Bella and our new acquaintances Lucy and her husband Niccolo when I felt a tap on my shoulder. Knowing Camille was behind me, I turned and gave her a smile in greeting.

"Bella may I steal our hero for a dance?" she asked sweetly.

Bella giggled and nodded. "He's all yours! But only to borrow," she added, winking at me.

I offered my arm to her. "It would be my pleasure, Camille."

She gave a beautiful smile as she took my arm and I led her to the dance floor. There was soft music playing and there were many other couples already dancing.

Camille put her hand on my shoulder and the other hand in mine. We began to sway in step and I caught a glimpse of William beaming at her as they shared a moment.

"He loves you so very much, you know," I said, interrupting the silence between us as we danced.

"Yes, and I love him dearly. Bella and you remind me of when William and I first met, so passionate about one another. Letting nothing come between our love," she mused. Her thoughts were full of small ways William had shown his love for her throughout their years together and I did my best to block them, feeling they were too personal for me to know them.

"Does that ever diminish as the years go on?" I asked, honestly curious.

"No, dear one. Never," She assured me, and I smiled in response.

"How are you feeling?" I asked.

"I am so much better. There is barely any scarring now and my voice feels my own again," she replied, instinctively putting a hand on her throat.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you self-conscious," I said, not sure what else to say.

"Oh, it's not you. I just can't help but feel like some would see me as less, or different for what happened. Not all of us come back after an attack like that." She said, concern in her voice.

"Camille, the people in this room are amazed by you. No one feels like you are inferior or different in any way. You survived an ordeal that not many people have witnessed, but that just proves how amazing you are," I replied reassuringly. "They are all thinking good thoughts and I should know," I added, tapping my finger to my temple.

This made her laugh and we finished our dance chatting about the wedding back home; Camille was thrilled to be a part of it. As the music ended, William cut in and took his place by his wife.

I roamed the room for a moment before deciding to find a spot to quiet my mind; it was hard to be surrounded by so many foreign "voices", especially when they were loud and exuberant.

Deciding that the sitting room upstairs would be perfect, I looked around for Bella, wanting to make sure she wouldn't miss me in my absence. She was dancing with Emmett out in the garden, with Alice and Rose forcing poor Jasper to twirl around with them. They were happy—as happy as I had seen them in days, and those who looked on were amused by their candor.

Satisfied that Bella was in good hands, I went up the stairs and found the room we had discovered yesterday. I stood in the middle of the room, just enjoying the absolute quiet in here. All the guests were convening downstairs and surprisingly not wandering the upper floors.

I crossed the room and opened the balcony doors, letting the warm breeze rush in. Standing there and taking the view in, I undid my tie. The sky was cloudless and filled with stars. I took a deep breath, filling my lungs and clearing my mind.

My fingers tingled and I knew that they were eager to get to the piano behind me.

In the dark, I went to the bench and removed my jacket, laying it on the chaise nearby.

I sat down on the piano bench, lightly running my fingers over the pristine Bosendorfer in front of me; I felt moved just by its beauty. Lifting the lid from the keys, I smiled at the familiar sight ivory and black.

I closed my eyes and simply extended my fingers. With a mind all their own, they moved, pouring music into the room. The piano was tuned perfectly and had a rich sound that spurred me on to continue playing.

I felt the night behind me, warm and balmy as I went on, loving the freedom this gave me. The only other source of passion that moved me this way was Bella herself. My thoughts filled with her and my lips parted, smiling in response.

I played piece after piece, lost in the music and the elation I felt as each melody stirred a different emotion within me. Some items were from my favorite composers and some were my own, and they all sounded perfect in this room.

After a time, I played something softer to bring myself back down, knowing I needed to return to the party and Bella. I finished the song and placed my hands on my thighs, smiling and staring at the beautiful instrument as I came down from the high the music had invoked.

"A fine instrument," I said to myself, pleased with the quality of the piano.

I grabbed my jacket and redid my tie, ready to head back to the party. Buttoning up my jacket again, I turned the corner and didn't take more than two steps down the stairs when a single set of hands began clapping. My head instantly shot up and found an older gentleman I had met earlier by the name of John. He was applauding me from the foot of the stairs with most of the guests behind him starting to join in the clapping.

"We had no idea you were so proficient with the piano, my boy!" John said climbing up to meet me.

"I wasn't aware I had an audience," I replied, slightly embarrassed and running a hand through my hair as I started down the stairs again.

John shook my hand and walked the rest of the way down with me. My family was smiling sheepishly at me as I joined them and the applause finally died down.

"_A little warning would have been nice_," I quipped in thought to Bella as she smiled at me innocently.

"I was not about to interrupt _that_," she replied out loud, kissing my cheek.

"Did everyone really hear?" I asked, moving through the crowd to the garden with Bella at my side.

"Yes, the band took a break and you started up almost on queue. The music resonated down the stairs and we all sort of moved towards it. Everyone was really quite impressed," she said proudly.

We entered the garden and I spun her gently, taking her in my arms for a dance. "But were you impressed, my love?" I asked staring into her eyes.

"Yes of course, you are amazing…at everything," she replied smiling warmly.

"That isn't true, Bella. I have my weaknesses," I said, holding her closer and moving in time to the music around us.

Bella nuzzled her face into my chest as we held each other and danced. "I feel so safe here," she whispered. "I love you, Edward."

My eyes closed, letting her words wash over me. "I love you too, Sweetheart. And you are safe, my love. Always," I whispered, opening my eyes to look into hers. I could actually say that and mean it now; she truly was safe.

I turned her face up to me and found the soft pillows of her lips. I kissed her softly, wanting more than anything to be alone with her.

We were still sort of in a daze when we heard someone clear their throat loudly and realized the music had stopped. We turned to see what was going on, finding Demetrius towering next to us.

"Excuse me, everyone," he bellowed in his deep voice. "Excuse me!"

The crowd seemed to come to attention and they moved a bit closer.

"I would like to say something on behalf of those in attendance tonight," he started, regarding Bella and me. "Edward, we are all grateful to you and your family for your sacrifices. We are elated that Aro is gone and that we are free of his ways. We, of course, agree that the masses must not go unchecked and we all here and now pledge our allegiance to your cause. We will help keep to your vision. We too want to go about our lives in peace. Although we cannot all share in your feeding habits, we will keep discretion in mind. We wish you and Bella a long and happy life together and thank you for allowing us to share an evening amongst you," he finished, extending a hand out to me.

I shook his hand, thanking him for his kind words as cheers and happy chatter surrounded us. It was still quite surreal to have all of these vampires looking to me for direction, but if it brought and maintained peace in our world, then I would gladly advise them.

We continued to meet vampires from all over as the night wore on. We were also approached more and more by guests saying their good-byes. It was very late when the last guest left and my family—William and Camille included—lounged around in the garden, going on about how well the night had gone.

Eventually, we too began to say our good nights. Rose and Emmett wanted to go out for a walk before dawn, while Esme and Carlisle were going back to the Villa. Alice mentioned that there would be a cleaning crew here in the morning and they needn't worry about anything as she and Jasper joined our parents.

William thanked us all again for a wonderful night as he made his way out with Camille on his arm. "It's a great night for a walk," he mused as they left the house.

Bella and I were alone finally. She walked toward me, her dress glistening like silk as she moved. I was sitting in one of the garden chairs, leaning forward with my elbows resting on my knees as I tracked her progress.

Arching her back like a cat, Bella took off her heels and dropped them in my lap as she slowly walked past me, running her hand through my hair. Electricity seemed to run through me with her touch and a small growl escaped me.

I turned to see where she was going, watching as she passed the pool and slipped into the shadows. She was still clearly visible to me, looking over her shoulder with a devious smile on those perfect lips and her golden eyes glowing in the darkness.

Her hand came up and her finger beckoned me to her; I immediately obeyed, dumping my jacket into the chair and following after her.

I caught up to her as she reached the ivy-covered garden wall that stood taller than both of us. She pressed her back to it and reached out, her pale hand gripping my shirt and pulling me to her. Her lips instantly found mine, beginning a kiss that was needy and passionate.

I reluctantly pulled away from the kiss, having a few ideas of my own on how to dazzle her. I bent down, keeping my eyes locked on hers as my hands wasted no time in lifting her gown. My nails playfully scratched her thighs as I lifted myself and the gown, filling the air with her sweet sounding moans in response.

I felt the animal in me take over; I had been forced to hold back all night and I could take it no longer. She must have been in my thoughts for her hands shot out and began undoing my pants.

I reached Bella's hips only to discover there was nothing there but bare skin. "Isabella, what have we here?" I asked coyly, my lips greedily moving all over neck.

"I was wondering when you would notice," she replied breathily, gripping my hair in bunches as she pressed her hips against me.

A growl escaped my chest and I lifted her body, pressed her against the wall and letting her feel how crazy she was driving me.

She pushed lightly on my shoulders and I somehow managed to behave and set her back on her feet. With a sexy little smirk on her lips and lust filling her eyes, she shrugged out of her dress, tossing it behind us. The last of my control shattered completely and I pulled her into my arms, pressing her into the wall and grinding against her naked flesh.

While I feverishly suckled on her breasts, Bella worked on the buttons of my shirt. She quickly became frustrated, though, and decided to just rip it from my body instead.

With one push upward I was inside of her, both of us crying out from the sensation. She was so hot and welcoming—this connection was what I longed for more than anything, with nothing else existing now but us.

Our pace was intense and passionate, with her fingers squeezing and scratching along my back while I continued ravishing her breasts. Her cries were loud and sensual, setting me on fire. "Bellaaaa," I moaned against her skin, feeling both of us nearing the edge.

We climaxed together, almost collapsing from the force of it. My legs were actually shaking as I lowered us to the ground, keeping my arms wound tightly around her body.

"Dear God in heaven!" she breathed, sounding exhausted. She was still straddling me, pressed against my chest, and neither one of us would dare move as we relaxed from our wonderful exertions.

This was certainly an amazing end to our time in Voltera. Tomorrow we would finally be heading home and moving forward with our own plans; I could not go another day without this woman being my wife.


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note:**

Well this is the final one! I was so happy to write this chapter that I actually got a little choked up. I am thrilled that they _finally_ got their 'happily ever after'. Thank you all for your overwhelming support and interest. Thank you to 'My-Bella' for always adding such amazing things to each chapter and for being a constant source of support and inspiration. At the end of the day I started writing this for her and only have her to thank for ever even posting them on 'fanfic'. Now I am off to write my own book!

Cheers!

VBR

Please remember to vote for the original Primal Desires over at the Lion and Lamb Awards. The link is on my profile page.

**My-Bella's Note:**

Just wanted to say a thank you to VBR for writing this story, as well as the first PD. They are beautiful stories and I love her version of Edward and Bella. I love the toughness they show when needed, and the openness they have when they are together.

And a huge thanks to all of you readers for giving these two stories a chance and proving to VBR that I'm not the only one who finds her writing amazing. I honestly just did some light touch-ups here and there. These _are_ her stories, folks.

* * *

The plane trip home was thankfully, completely uneventful. We arrived back in London late in the evening and were thrilled beyond belief when our car turned onto the gravel road leading to the Manor.

William had mentioned there would be two guards at our gate, who had been there since our departure to Italy; his home was guarded as well. He'd made sure that our residences were protected in our absence.

True to his word, our car came to a stop at the gate. I rolled my window down and greeted the guard. "Good Evening, I am Edward Cullen. My family and I are anxious to be home, so please open the gates," I said, smiling courteously.

"Yes, of course, Mr. Cullen," the guard replied. "William informed us that you would be arriving tonight and that we should stay on until you gave word, Sir."

"Thank you, but you may go. We have put you out enough. Were there any disturbances, by the way?" I asked out of curiosity.

"Only a few messengers sending wedding gifts. We took the liberty of setting them all in your foyer before locking up, Sir," he said.

"Oh gifts, yay!" Bella and Alice shrieked in unison. I smiled and rolled my eyes at them.

"Thank you again," I said to the guard as he motioned to his partner to open the gates.

The road wound slightly before the Manor came into view. We were all laughing at the girls exuberant behavior when my eyes caught sight of the brightly burning torches on either side of the door.

"Home," I said simply.

The rest of the car quieted down as we all took in the beautiful sight. Bella took my hand and squeezed, just as elated to be home as I felt.

"Alice, are you sure you can pull this off by tomorrow night?" Bella asked, concerned about the wedding tomorrow.

"Bella, haven't you learned by now to never bet against me?" Alice asked with a smirk. "By this time tomorrow, you will be dancing the night away with your _husband_," she added matter-of-factly.

We piled out of the car and stretched for a moment before Jasper and Emmett raced to the front door. Realizing they didn't have a key, they began to joke around.

"I should pick the lock," Jasper chuckled.

"Nah," Emmett said, wrapping his large fingers around the door latch. "I should just give it a little yank so it's come right off."

Jasper grabbed the latch on the other door. "I bet I can yank it off without damaging the wood," he challenged.

"You had better not force those doors open and damage them! They're antique!" Esme chided.

Carlisle slipped his key into the lock and opened the door, laughing at how silly we were all acting—being home and together certainly made us all happy. "Ahhh, home sweet home!" he said happily.

Once inside, we were greeted by a sea of gift boxes and flowers. They were on tables, chairs and sprawled all across the floor; some were even at the foot of the stairs.

"Wow!" Bella exclaimed.

"We should have these set in one of the vacant bedrooms upstairs so that they're out of the way," Alice suggested.

"Already on it," I replied, grabbing an armful of gifts with Jasper, Emmett, and Carlisle doing the same.

"How do you do that?" Rose asked amused. "Just say one word, and get them to move so fast?"

Alice giggled and set her bag down. "Rosie, you know they would hear about it endlessly from me if they didn't. They just choose the easier alternative."

"Yes, eternity is a long time to get an earful from Alice," Esme mused, stroking Alice's hair maternally.

I walked by both of them on my way to grab the rest of the gifts and kissed Alice's cheek. "My little sister…the general of our home. And the Vampires want me in charge? I think Alice is better suited."

"Nah, she would just start up a dress code or something," Emmett said. His comment was rewarded with kick in the rear from Alice as he passed her heading to the stairs.

"That idea isn't half bad, though!" she quipped, chuckling at how her heel had ripped the back pocket on his jeans.

With the gifts having been put away, everyone seemed to split up and go to their rooms to relax. I set the last of the gifts down, amazed that we'd almost filled the room, when I sensed Bella in our room. I headed in that direction and stopped at the slightly open door.

I watched her go in and out of our closet, placing items in a suitcase on our bed. "Going somewhere?" I asked, leaning on the door frame, arms folded across my chest.

"Yes, I'm getting married tomorrow and am going away for a month," she replied, smiling coyly as she went about her business.

"Oh, really? Who's the lucky man?" I asked, playing along as I sat in my armchair.

"You wouldn't know him," she said, playfully ignoring me.

"Oh, well tell me about him. I mean, he must be pretty special if you're running off and getting married like this," I replied, unbuttoning the top few buttons of my shirt and leaning back in my chair.

"Well…" she paused looking me over, "…he's utterly gorgeous, with a body a Greek God would get jealous over."

"Oh, I see. So it's purely a physical attraction then?" I asked, cocking an eyebrow at her as I enjoyed the view of the gorgeous woman before me.

"Not just physical no, he is…loaded too," she added, unable to contain her giggles now.

"Well, that's a plus!" I said, narrowing my eyes and pretending to be annoyed. "It just so happens that I too am marrying someone tomorrow."

"Oh, really? What is she like?" Bella asked, stopping what she was doing and eyeing me reluctantly. Did she really think I would say something she wouldn't like? Silly Bella!

"Let's see…" I said, pretending to think about it. "She is absolutely beautiful, of course," I started with a wave of my hand.

"Oh, I see. So it's purely a physical attraction then?" she questioned, using my words from earlier.

"Why don't I describe her further and you can tell me?" I suggested. I closed my eyes, leaning my head back on the chair as I thought of what to say next. "Her beauty isn't in the perfection of her skin, although hers is so silky smooth it's hard not to touch her. I'm pretty sure it's in her smile, though. She has a smile that lights up my world. And her eyes…the most amazing shade of gold with the ability to see into my very soul. I've been through hell and back from the moment I laid eyes on her, and I've never been happier," I finished, opening my eyes just enough to see her reaction.

She was standing at the edge of the bed, biting at her lip and looking as though she would cry if she could. "Oh, Edward," she whispered, clearly moved by my words.

"I'm not done," I interrupted, waving a hand at her. "You should know more about her since I'm spending the rest of my existence with this woman."

"Of course. I'm sorry, go on," she said, taking a step closer to me.

"Well, she is stubborn and willfull, brave and caring—I love how her brows furrow together when she is intent on getting her way. She always knows when I need some space to sort things out, and when I need her close. And God, how I love it when she bites her lower lip whenever I say things like this to her." I opened my eyes fully aware that she was doing just that and reached out to her, pulling her on my lap. "Bella, I love you and I will spend the rest of our lives making sure you know that…every single day of forever," I whispered, kissing her soft lips.

She melted into my arms and showered my neck and face with her soft, loving kisses.

"I am going to marry you tomorrow, Isabella, and forever is ours," I promised with a kiss.

"Did I mention the guy I'm marrying is a romantic sap?" she joked between kisses.

I spanked her bottom playfully and then proceeded to tickle her until she squealed.

The next few hours were spent ushering in florists, interior designers and other "wedding" people Alice had commissioned to help put our ceremony together. She had also mentioned that from the early afternoon until the wedding started, the east wing of the house would be for the men only, while the west wing would be for the ladies. We were forbidden to cross over under pain of torture from Alice.

I was in the middle of bringing my clothes for this evening to the men's side of the house when I decided to go back into our room to find my journal.

Bella was sitting at her vanity and as soon as I collected my journal, I walked over to her. "See you tonight, Love. I'll be the one with the giant smile at the end of the aisle," I teased, kissing her neck.

"I'll miss you, but get your butt out of here," she said, playfully pushing me toward the door. "I have to take a long hot bath," she added, stopping near the bed to close her suitcase and set it on the floor.

"Oh, is that supposed to make me leave? The prospect of you, _naked_, in a bathtub?" I asked, trailing my fingers from her cheekbone to her collarbone.

"Edward Cullen, you have two seconds to remove your horny ass from this room before I remove you myself," Alice threatened, arms folded and the look of a hellcat in those golden eyes of hers as she stood in the doorway.

Bella giggled at the look on my face. I playfully looked hurt and annoyed.

"Don't threaten the groom, Alice. It's not nice." I said, tugging a lock of her hair as I left the room. I was so excited about this day that nothing was going to dampen my mood—not even cruel, Pixie-sized threats.

I met William and Carlisle at the top of the stairs as I crossed the hall to head to our "wing".

"Edward, it seems we have been sent away by the ladies downstairs," William said smiling.

"Yes, Alice and Rose are pretty adamant about us staying out of the way until 'showtime'," I added, leading the way to the large great room that would be our lounge area for the afternoon.

"Add Esme and Camille to that lot," Carlisle joked, entering behind me.

The room was large and the wide balcony doors were open, allowing the long, thick drapes to dance slightly in the breeze.

"Why don't we go for a hunt?" I suggested, suddenly excited at the prospect of feeding.

"Now that sounds _interesting_," William replied reluctantly, knowing I did not mean human prey.

"Oh, c'mon, William. Live a little!" I teased, giving him a devious smile.

"I have lived plenty, dear boy, and I have had my share of animalia in my time. But you know, I am always up for a hunt," William replied, clasping his hands together.

"I'll find Jasper and Emmett! We definitely cannot be cooped up here all afternoon!" Carlisle said, leaving the room excitedly.

"We'll meet you in the forest," I said, motioning William to the open balcony doors.

We smiled wickedly to one another and sped off toward the doors in unison. Laughing as we hit the ground running, I was glad that we were on the far side of the house from the wedding site. Had we accidentally destroyed anything in our excitement, Alice would surely rip our heads from our bodies.

We entered the forest in seconds and I paused, closing my eyes and letting my senses take over. William's thoughts relayed that he was doing the same, waiting to catch a scent.

Within moments I sensed Carlisle, Jasper and Emmett speeding toward us. "Alright, men, let's go find something that puts up a fight!" I shouted, starting to run again.

"We're going to have to be faster than usual, Edward's thirsty!" Jasper quipped, from somewhere behind me.

"Keeping up with Edward is always exciting," William replied sounding a little closer than the others.

We sped through the forest like ghosts, hardly making any sounds as we traveled. The sun shone through in patches along our path, and for those few seconds, we shimmered like diamonds.

Reaching a clearing before the others, I crouched low, focusing on the small group of Red Deer. They were not aware of us just yet, lazily grazing in the small clearing.

Emmett came to a stop above me; he'd been gliding through the trees like the very wind itself, not making a sound.

Carlisle and Jasper came up behind me, along with William. "They're beautiful," William whispered.

"They're lunch!" Jasper added, laughing out loud and sending the deer running.

"Time for some fun," Emmett growled as he jumped to the next tree.

Jasper took off, chasing the deer, and I grinned as I pulled William along. Carlisle took to the trees after Emmett, both of them calling out left and rights that we didn't really need. William began to really get into the chase, stepping off logs and tree trunks for propulsion, and catapulting himself forward for even more speed.

We finally surrounded the deer and took them down as a united group, feeding until we were satiated—even William seemed to enjoy his kill.

"It's not so bad, is it?" I asked him, patting his shoulder as we carried the deer carcasses away for disposal.

"It's tolerable," he replied with a grin.

Once we cleaned up after ourselves, we decided to walk the grounds, discussing light-hearted matters along the way. None of us were up for any more talk of Italy or leadership. I did what I could to follow the conversations around me, but my mind kept turning toward my wedding and the honeymoon to follow. Bella had left the destination to me, only requesting that it be romantic and fun. And since we were going away for an entire month, I chose two destinations: two weeks in Inverness, Scotland and then another two in Paris, France. I hoped both places would thoroughly meet her stipulation of romantic and fun.

We made our way back to the Manor in time to take showers and get dressed; the entire house buzzing with excitement. From what we'd seen of the gardens and house on our way in, everything looked amazing. This time, Alice had decided the color scheme would be black and silver, with the only dash of vivid color coming from the deep red roses she had strategically placed throughout. There was no doubt in my mind that it would be a beautiful ceremony—then again, I was marrying the most stunning woman in the world.

As I finished dressing, the thoughts of the others filled my mind. They were all ready, waiting in Carlisle's room, laughing heartily at something Emmett was up to.

I tried to reach out to Bella as I buttoned up my shirt. "_My love?_" I asked in thought.

"_Yes, Mr. Cullen?_" she replied. I could literally feel the happiness in her thoughts and I knew she was smiling.

"_There is still time_."

Her thoughts were a confused muddle as she tried to figure out my meaning. She gave up after a few seconds, not having come up with anything that felt right to her. "_For what?_"

"_For you to marry me instead of that other guy you were talking about,_" I joked, finishing up my tie.

"_You know I think I might take you up on that offer. Meet me downstairs in about an hour,_" she replied, her thoughts relaying her amusement. "_I love you, Edward._"

"_And I you, Bella._"

We closed the connection with one another and I went to the small table where my journal sat. Taking the pen in hand, I tore a page out and smiled as the words I wanted to express poured out.

I was about to seal the envelope when I noticed a small gift box on the bed with a card attached. I pulled the card from the ribbon and opened it.

"_Edward, _

_I saw this and immediately thought it would be something you would get Bella. _

_I know the last few days have been crazy, so I had a "friend" pick this up. Congratulations on your wedding day and thank you for giving us Bella._

_Your little sis,_

_Alice_"

I opened the box and marveled at the teardrop shaped diamond sitting on a thin titanium chain. Alice was right; it was definitely something I would have purchased for Bella. I went back to my note and added a few lines before sealing it and the necklace in the envelope.

Hearing Emmett just outside my door, I called out to him. "Hey, Em?"

He entered the room wearing his full on tux with his curly hair neatly styled.

"Very sharp," I commented, waving a hand at his tux.

"Yeah, thanks," he replied with a huge grin. "Hopefully Rosie likes it."

"I'm sure she will. In the meantime, I was hoping you could do me a favor and deliver this to Bella," I said, holding the envelope out to him.

"Are you insane? Go into 'no man's land' and suffer the wrath of Alice?" he asked even as he took the envelope. "I am _so_ up for the job."

I couldn't help but laugh at his silliness. "Just be polite and I'm sure Alice will let you live."

"Well, if I so much as get a scratch on me, I'm blaming you and you'll have to deal with Rosie," he said, pointing one of his large fingers in my direction.

"I'll take my chances," I replied, trying not to laugh.

"It's your funeral!" he called out as he left the room.

I was standing in front of the mirror, making sure my jacket and tie were on straight when Emmett's thoughts invaded. _I've never seen Bells look happier._

And then I heard his booming voice as he spoke up. "Nice rollers, Bells," he teased, handing her the envelope. "Slap some green paint on you and we have our very own alien."

"Out!" the woman shouted as they their hairbrushes at Emmett.

"Hey, I'm just the delivery boy," Emmett fussed as he ran toward our wing of the house.

My quiet laughter over Emmett's antics was interrupted by Bella's soft "voice". "_Edward, what's this?_" her thoughts questioned.

"_A little something for you before we walk down the aisle,_" I replied, sitting at the window so I could focus all of my attention on her mind.

She became excited and tore into the envelope, gasping when the small chain fell out and landed on her lap. I could feel the awe coming from her as she watched the light reflect from the diamond's surface.

She carefully set the necklace into her lap and picked the letter up to read it.

_My Dearest Love,_

_This is the happiest day of my life. My heart soars at the thought that by the end of the day you will be my wife. In all my days, I never thought that I deserved happiness. I never thought that I would find anything or anyone in the world to give me any sort of joy. But from the moment I met you, your love was given me all of these things. The world has become a beautiful and colorful place. I only hope that I can offer you as much. I vow to love you more and more as each day passes. My very soul I lay at your feet. Yes, I know now that I indeed have one. It was simply dormant, waiting for your touch. As I write this, I fear that my heart will burst with happiness. Please accept this small token of my love and do me the honor of wearing the 'tear of joy I could never shed upon your heart."_

_Your ever loving husband,_

_Edward_

I couldn't help but close my eyes, feeling how overwhelmed she was in the moment—no doubt would be crying heavily if she could.

She composed herself enough to let me hear her thoughts clearly. "_This is the most amazing gift, Edward. Thank you. I…I'm speechless. I can't wait to marry you and belong to you in every way._"

"_Neither can I, Bella. We've waited long enough. Now hurry up so I can whisk you away already!_" I joked, hoping to make her smile.

Her thoughts swirled once again, some humorous as she replayed my last comments, and some extremely loving as she thought of being able to hug and kiss me again. I closed our connection, wanting her to be able to focus on getting ready for the wedding.

I was grateful to Alice for once again thinking of everything. In all the insanity of the last few days I, of course, wasn't able to get Bella something special, and my sister had taken care of it, anticipating my desire to make this day amazing for my very soon-to-be wife.

As I moved in front of the mirror again, I ran my hands through the maddening bird's nest on my head—it was hopeless to try to keep my hair tame, but then Bella seemed to like it. With one final check, I was satisfied that I hadn't forgotten any parts to this suit and headed off to join the others. Carlisle, William, Jasper, and Emmett were playing pool to pass the time.

"There he is, Miss America," Emmett sang as I entered the room.

"Wrong event," Jasper chuckled. "That's next month."

"I'm not going to let either of you annoy me today," I said as I took a seat.

"Then how the heck are we supposed to have fun at this thing?" Emmett asked. "It's not like Bells blushes or trips anymore."

"Boys, it's your brother's wedding day. Can't you cut him a little slack?" Carlisle questioned, looking between the two of them.

Jasper and Emmett both turned their heads, looking at the other. "No," was their unanimous decision.

Before I could respond, Alice burst into the room, bringing all of her energy with her—as if the buzzing of the guests downstairs wasn't enough already.

"Wow, you guys look amazing!" she chirped, smiling wide as she made her way to Jasper.

"You look pretty spectacular yourself, honey," he replied, wrapping his arms around her.

Alice wore a black floor-length gown with a red sash across her waist that tied at the back—she really did look lovely. Looking at her attire made me wonder about Bella's and I felt my stomach somersault at the thought of seeing her in her wedding dress. I had no idea what it even looked like, but I was sure I would soon be floored by it.

Alice came to me and adjusted my bow-tie, smiling wide the entire time. I wrapped my arms around her and just hugged her. "Alice, thank you for everything," I whispered into her hair. "You have made every event for our wedding amazing. I love you, Sis."

She pulled away and smiled up at me. "I don't know who I love more…you for what you just said or Bella for making it all possible. I am proud of you, Edward, and I am thrilled that this day is finally here for you," she said, getting up on her tiptoes to kiss my cheek.

"Oh heavens, look at you!" Esme shrieked as she made her to way to me hastily. "Edward, you are so handsome!" she beamed, holding my face in her hands.

"Thanks. And you look beautiful, Mom," I replied, embracing her.

Rose and Camille soon joined us, all four ladies wearing the same outfit as Alice and looking elegant and demure. Rose, of course, rendered Emmett speechless, both aloud and in thought.

"Well, Dad, we should get to Bella," Alice said, motioning to Carlisle. "You guys go downstairs and take your places," she ordered with a giddy clap of her hands.

We wasted no time in following her orders, greeting our guests as we made our way through the house and into the garden. There were many familiar faces and even some of the people we'd met in Voltera had made the trip.

I scanned the room for anything menacing, a little afraid of letting my guard down. We were so close to getting married now and I couldn't stop the paranoia that something would go wrong. Emmett, Jasper and I moved through the room like one entity, each surveying the guests in our own way. I guess we were all feeling a little bit of the same concern.

We had just entered the den when Camille motioned for us to come outside—it was time.

I immediately took an eager step toward the French doors that lead to the garden, but Jasper caught my arm, holding me back. "Edward, you can relax. We're here with you and nothing will go wrong. This is _your_ day; yours and Bella's."

"No one is going to cause any problems. We're good, Bro," Emmett assured me. "Now let's get your ass married!" he added, pushing me toward the doors.

My apprehension was greatly eased by their words; it was amazingly comforting to know that my family was so supportive and truly protective of each other.

We entered the garden, finding that most of the guests had now taken their seats. The sun was setting, turning the sky into a canvas of orange and pinks and casting a glow on all of the beautiful decorations Alice had assembled. Candles and twinkle lights lit up the area, lending an ethereal feel to the whole affair. There was even a narrow white rug laid out all the way down to the altar. Bella would absolutely love this.

Alice and Rose joined us, each of them taking their mate's hand. "Alright, guys! It's show-time!" Rose said excitedly.

Alice and Jasper went out first and as they stepped onto the white rug, the orchestra outside began to play. Classical music filled the air and a wave of calm came over me; I wasn't sure if was the music or Jasper, but I was grateful either way.

Once Alice and Jasper were about half way down the aisle, Rose and Emmett followed. I watched their progression, starting to wonder if this was all a dream, before feeling a hand take mine.

"I am so proud of you, Son," Esme said softly as she laid her head against my shoulder. "Are you ready?" she asked.

I let out a breath and slipped her hand on the inside of my arm gallantly. "I have never been more ready for anything in my life, Mom," I replied, leaning down and kissing her cheek.

I walked her down the aisle slowly, taking in this moment, as my sisters and brothers smiled proudly at me, letting me hear their thoughts of congratulations.

I kissed Esme's hand and then took my place by Emmett, turning to face the Manor. William and Camille were in the very first row and gave us all a loving smile.

I felt like I was riding an electric current, and having my own excitement mingled with all the voices in my head was a little dizzying. My mind reached out, wanting desperately to hear Bella, but couldn't seem to clear the noise in my head enough.

Within seconds, the band stopped playing and the doors on the far side of the house opened. The guests turned their heads in response and that was when I saw it…one perfect white heel stepping out into the garden.

But it was all I saw because everyone stood, whispering in excitement, and completely obstructing my view. I was so eager to catch a glimpse of my bride that I found myself standing as tall as I could and craning my neck to see her.

Just when I thought I couldn't take another second, Carlisle and Bella reached the aisle, bringing complete silence with them. The guests seemed to be just as stunned as I was by the vision of beauty standing at the edge of the white rug.

"Breathe, Bella," I heard Carlisle say under his breath. She of course didn't need to necessarily, but she looked a little taken aback by having so many eyes focused on her. The music started to play again, sending a soothing melody into the air as Carlisle and Bella began to move up the aisle.

The gown as absolutely exquisite—the dress was strapless with tiny pearls and intricate lacework all along the bodice and train. Her rich auburn hair was taken back at the sides so that the rest of it framed her shoulders. The diamond teardrop necklace adorned her magnificently. In a word…_Perfection_.

We made eye contact and we both seemed to calm instantly. I could faintly hear the voices buzzing around us, but my connection with Bella was now strong enough to block the rest out.

"_Dear God in heaven, my angel approaches,_" I said under my breath. I was not a praying man, but I found myself doing just that, hoping that this wasn't some sort of dream. Emmett's elbow nudge and snickering were a sure sign that this was real, but I wouldn't believe it complete until I had her hand in mine.

Bella smiled, having heard my words and moved a little faster toward me. She seemed just as anxious as I was to be reunited.

As they reached the altar, Carlisle kissed her check and looked to the man marrying us—Sir Martin Crane. He was a spry hundred and twenty year old vampire, who had presided over one of Carlisle and Esme's marriage ceremonies.

"Who presents this woman in marriage today?" Sir Crane asked, smiling formally.

"I do, Sir," Carlisle responded proudly.

Bella was beaming at him and she squeezed his hand before letting go and turning to me.

"_Glad to see you chose me over that other guy,_" I teased in thought to her as she took my arm.

"_Yeah, the diamond did it,_" she retorted, leaning her head on my shoulder.

Those around us sat down, except for Carlisle and Esme who stood to our sides as Sir Crane began.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are gathered her today to witness the union of Isabella Swan and Edward Masen-Cullen. Two souls who have come together despite insurmountable odds; two hearts that have become one; two people who can only be complete together. Ladies and gentlemen, we are in the presence of true love in its most pure and basic form."

Sir Crane smiled, focusing his attention on Bella. "Do you, Isabella Swan, take Edward to be your husband for all the days and nights of his eternity, promising to love him forever?"

Bella looked up at me and melted my insides with her smile. "I do," she said confidently.

"Please place the band on his finger." Sir Martin said.

Bella turned to Esme who held out a ring resting on a soft satin pillow. Bella lifted the small object carefully and then slipped the ring onto my finger, squeezing gently as she smiled at me.

"Do you, Edward Masen-Cullen, take Isabella Swan to be your wife for all the days and nights of her eternity, promising to love her forever?

"I do," I replied, lost in her eyes. There was a softness to them that made them seem more like butter than gold, and I knew this moment meant as much to her as it did to me.

"Please place the band on her finger," Sir Crane instructed.

I turned to Carlisle who was holding a similar satin pillow. I slipped the ring onto her finger carefully and kissed her hand.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, please stand as I present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Edward Masen-Cullen!" Sir Crane shouted happily.

The entire wedding party erupted in cheers and Sir Crane could hardly be heard over their voices. "You may kiss your bride!"

With my eyes still locked on hers, I placed my hands on either side of her neck, slowly leaning toward her. "I love you, Mrs. Cullen," I whispered against her soft lips before kissing her passionately.

"_And I love you, Mr. Cullen_," she replied in thought, smiling into our kiss.

Reluctantly, we broke the kiss and faced the crowd; white confetti and rose petals rained down into the garden from the windows above as cheering guests leaned out and waved to us. As hard as it was to fathom, these people really saw us as some sort of royalty.

We were surrounded almost at once by our family, everyone talking and hugging at the same time. We were all so filled with emotion that I swore we would be the first vampires to shed actual tears of joy.

We gathered ourselves and I noticed that Camille and William were nowhere to be found as we walked back down the aisle, followed by the rest of the guests.

"Hey, you guys! Come inside the house for pictures," Alice ordered. "We'll give the guests a minute to get settled in the tent."

"Tent?" I asked, still holding Bella closely.

"What tent?" she added, surprised at Alice.

"You'll see soon enough!" Alice replied, ushering our family into the house.

I felt so at ease now that it was official that not even Alice's insane need for thousands of pictures of the same pose could bother me. I was a married man—married to the love of my life, no less! I was complete for the first time in my existence and for all intents and purposes, _alive again_.

Once the pictures were finally done, Rose and Alice came over to us excitedly.

"This next surprise was totally a secret and we hope that you love it!" Rose announced, smiling wide.

We were eagerly ushered outside again and led to a path on side of the house that took us into the forest.

It was completely dark now, but still easy to see; the blazing lights coming from the large clearing ahead illuminated the path perfectly.

As we got closer, I could see a massive, white tent lay ahead. There were torches on either side and I could see that the inside was lit up with thousands of candles.

I could hear them before I saw them…the flapping of flags and banners in the night wind. A feeling of deja-vu struck, but I wasn't apprehensive in the least.

We stepped into the clearing and Bella's breath caught. "Edward, look!" she exclaimed, pointing up. Strung above the tent were black and silver flags with a lion's crest on them, moving fluidly through the wind. Here was a variation of my earlier visions come to life.

The partially opened flaps of the tent were raised higher by two attendants, allowing us to enter. All of our guests stood inside, facing us and eagerly awaiting our entrance.

Two trumpeters sounded their horns as men dressed in medieval garb with the same lion's crest on their chests lifted their swords to meet at the tips, creating an aisle leading into the tent.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. & Mrs. Edward Cullen!" one of the trumpeters announced.

I looked back at Alice and our family momentarily, feeling like this was too much, but they only nodded us forward.

Bella and I walked through the arch of swords, surrounded by the loud cheers of our guests.

As we reached the inside of the tent, the crowd parted, allowing William and Camille to greet us. "We hope you enjoyed that introduction!" William said cheerfully.

"It was amazing!" Bella replied.

"Thank you," I added, holding back my other comments. I still wasn't completely comfortable with being looked to as _the_ leader of the Vampires.

Camille hugged us both as the rest of our family joined us. We spent the night dancing and laughing together; I doubted I'd ever had such a good time or had been more relaxed. Bella and I seemed to dance with most of our guests and family—we'd shared our first dance and once that was over, it seemed everyone wanted a piece of us.

Bella was currently dancing with Emmett so I stepped outside for a moment. It was beautiful out; the sky was clear and star-filled and the air carried the sounds of joy coming from the tent. Maybe this would really work: peace amongst vampires. Maybe we could really pull this off and live happily now. My mind began to reel, hosting various scenarios about what the future might hold.

It abruptly stopped at Bella's light touch. "Oh no you don't!" she said, smiling in disbelief as she held my arm.

"What, Love?" I asked, taking her into my arms.

"You are not going to stand out here and let your thoughts carry you away! This is our wedding night, Mr. Cullen, and you have more important things to attend to!" she chided, motioning with her head toward the tent.

"You're right. I do," I replied, cocking an eyebrow and smirking.

"What's that look?" she asked concerned.

I simply walked us back into the tent without replying. "Everyone, may I please have your attention?" I shouted over the music.

"Edward, at least let us say goodbye!" Alice moaned, already knowing my decision.

I smiled down at my little sister. "Make it quick," I told her. And then I lifted my head, surveying the crowd before me. "Thank you, all of you, for coming here tonight to share in the happiest day of our lives. This night has been amazing! Please stay and enjoy yourselves, but we must leave you now. As my wife has just informed me, I should not let my thoughts 'carry me away' tonight, so instead I am carrying her away! Good night, everyone!"

Bella had an amused look on her face as I turned toward her. I gracefully picked her up and kissed her passionately as I walked us out of the tent.

The cheers and laughter finally faded as we entered the Manor.

"I can't wait either," she said, replying to my thoughts as she kissed me again. "Let me change and we can go!" she added, jumping out of my arms and picking up her gown as she made for the stairs.

I followed her up and within moments we were changed and heading back down with our bags. We were met by our family at the foot of the stairs.

"You two better call me soon!" Esme warned, kissing each of us.

"Yes, a month is a long time," Carlisle added, hugging us.

"We will, of course," Bella promised.

"Bella, keep out of trouble and keep him in check!" Emmett said loudly as he took us both in his arms simultaneously.

Rose watched us amused and just put a hand out to each of us as Emmett let us go. "I love you guys, have a wonderful honeymoon!"

"Thank you, Rosie," I said, softly kissing her cheek.

"Bella, you give me a call if he gives you any trouble!" Jasper joked, shaking my hand.

"Ha, I will!" Bella replied, hugging him next.

I turned toward the door and my little Alice stood there with a bittersweet look on her face. Bella went to her and hugged her tightly. "It's only a month, Alice," Bella promised her.

"I know, but it's never the same without you guys," she said sniffling.

"Thank you for the most amazing wedding ever," Bella added.

Alice nodded and kissed her cheek, and then Bella moved to stand behind her, waiting for me to say something.

I went to my little sister and put a hand on either side of her face. "I know there needn't be any words between us, Allie. I will miss you and fully expect you to let me know if anything comes up," I said firmly. "I mean it, Allie. Call me, even if you just need to talk. I love you, and thank you for making this day unforgettable. All of you," I added turning to my family once more.

"We'll be home before you know it!" Bella chimed in.

They walked us out to our car and more good-bye's ensued. After a few more minutes, we were finally speeding off in the Jaguar, waving to our family.

Bella turned to me as I drove down the winding road, heading toward the airport. "Thank you," she said softly.

"For what, Love?" I asked, furrowing my brows as I tried to guess.

"For the rest of our lives," she replied, taking my hand and kissing my wedding ring.

I smiled and pulled her hand to my lips, kissed her fingers as I sped off into the night with nothing but the woman I loved and the diamond on her finger to light my way.

**The End.**


	10. Chapter 10

Hello everyone, Primal Desires-Masquerades has been nominated for an award! This time it's the "Sparkle Awards"!!! Voting is happening through July. If you would like to vote, go to **sparkle awards. yolasite** . **com** and find us under the "La Push Award" for best Prequel/Sequel!!! Thank you again to all of you for all of your support!

Cheers!

VBR


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